


Not Just the Alcohol

by bowtiesandboatshoes



Series: Not Just the Alcohol [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-06-08 11:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6853225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowtiesandboatshoes/pseuds/bowtiesandboatshoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Blaine and Rachel meet at theater camp they easily slip into the roles of boyfriend and girlfriend. Blaine befriends Kurt when he transfers to Dalton, but when a game of Spin the Bottle leads to a kiss between the two boys, Blaine begins to question things. Klaine endgame.</p><p>A Season 2/BIOTA AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [bowtiesandboatshoes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowtiesandboatshoes/pseuds/bowtiesandboatshoes) in the [GleePromptMeme](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/GleePromptMeme) collection. 



> I’m so excited to share this story with you. It began more than two years ago as an idea in my head and one day it decided it wanted to be written out. I wrote until it stopped flowing, and then abandoned it, stuck. But the idea never left my head. I always wanted to READ this story. When the Glee Prompt Meme came into existence, I left it as a prompt. And then I accidentally rediscovered my draft (which I thought I’d deleted!), read it, and got unstuck. So now here I am, filling my own prompt. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I am so grateful to shenanigansensu for her invaluable feedback as I was writing and revising, to gleekmom for having invited me into her writing world and for inspiring me with her own fantastic works, and to jaxbaymama and wemeow2 for their support and enthusiasm.

Blaine stood outside the dining hall, waiting for the casting notice to be posted on the camp bulletin board. He was thrilled just to be at the theater camp instead of spending his vacation at Dalton's summer academy getting a head start on his classes. That had been his father's preference, but Blaine and his mom convinced him that a summer spent studying musical theater would look at least as impressive on Blaine's college resume, and that Blaine deserved a break from academics after working so hard all year long. So here he was, along with a quickly growing group of other young actors, ready to find out what role he'd be playing in the camp's production of _West Side Story_. 

The director approached and affixed the cast list to the board, then quickly dodged out of the way as people pushed forward to learn their fates. When Blaine made his way to the front, he ran his finger down the list as he searched for his name. He'd expected to have to scan fairly far given that he was only a sophomore, but instead he stopped near the top. Tony. Blaine beamed with pride and turned to move away, but he was stopped by a petite brunette who had her hand stretched towards him in greeting as a torrent of words spilled from her lips.

  
"I see that you're playing Tony. I'm Rachel Berry. I'll be your Maria. I'm planning on extra vocal rehearsals every day during our free period after lunch. You're welcome to join me if you'd like."

  
"Blaine Anderson. It's nice to meet you, Rachel. Thank you for the offer. I may just take you up on that." He didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot with his co-star, but he'd also just met her and didn't want to commit himself entirely to giving up that block of downtime every day. He'd see how things went at rehearsal the next day and take it from there.

  
“Suit yourself,” Rachel said with a shrug. “I’ll see you at rehearsal.” And with that she turned and was gone, but not without a quick backward glance to appreciate how handsome Blaine was. If his talent matched his looks, this summer could end up being even better than she’d anticipated.

  
Blaine hadn't been quite sure what to make of Rachel at first. She was a tiny powerhouse of a girl whose diva-like tendencies came off as a bit overbearing at times, but still he had to admire her spirit. She was dedicated to being the best Maria she possibly could and certainly put in the work to make that happen. She inspired Blaine to strive for his absolute best as well, and a few days into rehearsals he decided to join her for extra practice after all. He enjoyed singing with her and as they got to know each other better he found they had a lot in common. They soon fell into the habit of meeting at breakfast before heading to rehearsal together, and filling the free moments of their days with each other’s company.

  
One day as they were walking to lunch after rehearsal their hands brushed against each other and Rachel slipped her hand into Blaine's, swinging their arms gently between them as she continued her steady chatter about improvements she thought could be made in the show. Blaine was caught slightly off guard, but it felt nice, and they were friends, so he went along with it, nodding here and there at Rachel’s suggestions. It was nice to have found someone who shared his passion for musical theater. He was certain he and Rachel could talk about Broadway for hours upon hours. As the days passed, they did just that, both dreaming of when they’d be in New York themselves making their dreams come true.

  
One night they attended a performance given by one of the other groups, and Rachel held Blaine’s hand through the entire show. Afterwards as they left the building, she reached for his hand again. Blaine took the hand-holding for granted at this point, figuring Rachel was just being affectionate.

  
“It’s such a beautiful night,” she said. “Do you want to go for a walk by the lake?”

  
“Sure,” Blaine agreed, and they headed down the path under the stars. They walked along the shore quietly until Rachel led them to a wide rock on the beach, tugging Blaine down to sit and resting her head on his shoulder once he was settled.

  
“This is nice,” she sighed, looking out over the water.

  
“It is.”

  
“I’m so glad you live in Westerville. We’ll still be able to see each other when camp is over. I’ve never had a boyfriend I had so much in common with before…”

  
_Boyfriend?_ Blaine thought. _What...when did that happen?_ He certainly hadn’t ever asked her out, but if he thought about it, he guessed it was sort of like they were dating. _Huh._ He hadn’t dated before, mostly because he didn’t have the time, and it wasn’t exactly easy to meet girls at all-boys Dalton Academy. But Rachel was sweet and he loved spending time with her, singing duets at the piano, daydreaming about the future, and if he thought about it, even sitting snuggled together watching the moon reflect on the lake. Being someone’s boyfriend was new, but he decided he liked the sound of it.

  
“I’m glad too, Rach,” he said, and leaned down to kiss her cheek. He’d never kissed a girl either, and he was a little nervous about doing more than that. Rachel smiled up at him and snuggled closer.

  
As they said goodnight later, Rachel leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss Blaine softly and from then on most nights ended with a simple, chaste kiss when Blaine, ever the gentleman, walked Rachel back to her cabin.

 

 _West Side Story_ was a smashing success and once they returned home Blaine and Rachel spent the few remaining weeks before the beginning of the new school year seeing each other as much as possible. They met at the Lima Bean for coffee dates, browsed for new sheet music for potential glee club solos, had movie marathons of all of their favorite musicals and watched countless YouTube videos of the Warblers and the New Directions, each pointing out their friends to the other.

After seeing the outrageous costumes the New Directions wore for their “Bad Romance” number, Blaine laughed. “I can’t wait to meet your friends,” he said. “It looks like you guys have a lot of fun. I can’t even imagine the Warblers performing out of Dalton uniforms, let alone in such crazy costumes.”

  
“Oh, I…” Rachel began. “Um. I haven’t actually told anyone about you yet--not that I’m ashamed,” she added quickly. “It’s just… last year I dated someone from Vocal Adrenaline and that didn’t go over so well with the glee club.”

  
“Rachel, the New Directions and the Warblers have never even competed against each other. Why would they care?”

  
“I know. I’m just nervous I guess. Give me a little more time? I promise I’ll tell them. I’m just not ready yet.”

  
Blaine sighed, but agreed. He supposed he could give her a little while, until she felt more comfortable.

  
But once the school year was underway, it was announced that the Warblers and the New Directions would be competing at Show Choir Sectionals that fall. Rachel insisted she couldn’t take a chance at being labeled disloyal to her team by announcing she was dating Blaine, and Blaine had little choice but to continue to indulge her.

  
That wasn’t the only reason Blaine was disappointed in the Sectionals roster. He knew how competitive Rachel was and he knew the Warblers were a much more experienced group than the New Directions. He hated competing against her, and was almost relieved when she called one night outraged that her glee coach, Mr. Schuester, had the audacity not to give her a solo for the competition. Blaine knew that he would be the Warbler’s soloist and he was glad that at least this way it wouldn’t pit him directly against his girlfriend, even if they were still on opposing teams.

  
As the competition approached both teams were busy with extra rehearsals. Blaine and Rachel didn’t see each other much, but they talked and texted regularly. And although Rachel hadn’t yet introduced him to her friends, Blaine had seen enough of their performances on YouTube that when he met a lost looking “new kid” on the staircase at Dalton, he knew immediately that it was Rachel’s friend Kurt. Of course he didn’t mention that he knew Rachel, not wanting to cause trouble for her with her teammates.

Until now, he’d been able to tolerate her keeping things quiet since their groups of friends never really mixed anyway, but something about coming face to face with one of Rachel’s friends suddenly made him wonder whether keeping this under wraps was really the right thing to do. He’d never had to lie about it because he’d never been around anyone from McKinley before, but pretending now that he didn’t even know the girl he’d been dating for the past several months tugged at his conscience. A lie by omission was still a lie.

  
Later that night, he called Rachel, still feeling unsettled by the encounter with Kurt. “Rach, I…” he began, not really knowing how to bring this up with her. “Did you know your friend Kurt came to Dalton today?” he asked.

  
“The boys sent him, Blaine. I didn’t know about it, or else I would have tried to stop him. There’s no excuse for us trying to spy on you guys. I’m so sorry,” Rachel replied, horrified at what Blaine would think of them for stooping so low.

  
“No, Rachel, it’s ok. He—well, you probably already know he’s being bullied at McKinley. I don’t think he came here just to spy on the Warblers. It seemed like he was looking for an escape,” said Blaine. But he hadn’t really called to talk about Kurt, so he tried to steer the conversation back in its intended direction. “The thing is, Rachel, it felt really weird talking with one of your best friends and not even being able to say that I knew you. I just—I don’t know if I feel comfortable anymore not being up front with your teammates about us...”

  
“Oh, I…” Rachel started to reply, but Blaine cut her off. “It’s just, Rachel, we’re going to see each other at Sectionals and I don’t think I can pretend that you’re a stranger. I mean, the Warblers all know about you already, and…”

  
“Blaine, I get it, I do,” said Rachel, “but after last year with Jesse, I’m just afraid of what everyone will say. I don’t want them to think I’m some kind of traitor. It’s bad enough that I don’t have any solos at Sectionals. I can’t risk anyone thinking that I’m not a team player.”

  
Blaine sighed in exasperation. He saw Rachel’s point, but it didn’t make it any easier. He also knew there was no convincing her once her mind was made up.

  
“Ok, Rach, ok… But please will you at least think about telling your friends about us? I know we’ve been able to keep things separate so far but we’ve been together a while now and I’d like to think that you’d _want_ to tell your friends about your fabulously talented boyfriend,” he said, and she could almost hear the twinkle in his eye in the lilt of his voice. Rachel agreed to consider it, but she wasn’t quite ready to come clean just yet. Maybe after they beat the Warblers at Sectionals she could tell the truth and it would be ok.

  
Things came to a head however when Kurt’s bullying at McKinley got so bad that he ended up transferring to Dalton unexpectedly, right before Sectionals. Since Blaine was practically the only person Kurt knew there, even though they’d only met once, Kurt naturally gravitated towards him. Plus, he was a glee club rock star, and Kurt figured a good word from Blaine might give him an in with the Warblers. He couldn’t imagine not being part of a singing group, and if bullies had forced him to leave the New Directions then he was going to do everything he could to fit in with the group at Dalton. Blaine did indeed convince the council to let Kurt audition, and once they heard his voice there was no doubt he deserved a spot with the group. It was awfully close to Sectionals to accept a new member, but Kurt was clearly talented and they knew he could learn their routines quickly and would be an asset to the team.

  
Rachel still hadn’t told anyone about Blaine, but now that Kurt was going to be a daily part of his life, Blaine couldn’t stand keeping up the charade.

  
“Rachel,” he said when they spoke a few days after Kurt came to Dalton, “you have to tell them, or at least tell Kurt. I see him all the time here and it is killing me to pretend I don’t know you. To be honest, your keeping us a secret from your friends kind of hurts too. It makes me feel like I’m not good enough or something. Like you feel the need to hide me.”

  
“No, Blaine! That’s not it and you know it. I just… Ok, ok, I’ll tell them, tell Kurt. You’re right. He deserves to know and you shouldn’t have to lie.”

  
And so Rachel told Kurt everything, hoping that she hadn’t completely ruined their friendship by not being honest in the first place. But Kurt had known Rachel long enough to know that drama came with the territory and he only told her that he was happy for her, adding “He’s cute!” and giving her a playful nudge that made Rachel blush and smile. Silently though he cursed his luck, because he had really been hoping that Blaine played for his team. Finding out he had a girlfriend, and that it was Rachel no less, was a bit of a disappointment.

  
“Wait up, Kurt!” Blaine called out one day after Warblers practice. He wanted to apologize to Kurt himself for his part in keeping Rachel’s secret. He hoped Kurt would understand. Kurt assured him that all was fine. He understood Rachel better than almost anyone, and didn’t fault Blaine for acceding to Rachel’s wishes.

  
“Good,” Blaine smiled. “Friends?” he asked warmly.

  
“Friends,” said Kurt with a smile in his eyes, glad that he was starting to find his place at Dalton.

~

  
Despite Blaine’s certainty that the Warblers would beat New Directions at Sectionals, the two teams ended up in a tie for first place, and would both advance to Regionals that winter. He was happy that neither he nor Rachel had to lose, but not thrilled that the competition between them would continue. He hated competing against his girlfriend and almost wished that the Warblers had lost so he wouldn’t have to do it anymore. In all likelihood, Rachel would have her solos back for Regionals, so this time they really would be going head to head. Blaine was too much of a gentleman to enjoy that kind of rivalry. It was hard censoring themselves about set lists too. Glee club was such a huge part of both of their lives that they were constantly having to bite their tongues so as not to give away too much information to the opposing team. For the most part their teammates were ok with them dating, but they both took a fair amount of ribbing about sleeping with the enemy, so they needed to be especially careful.

  
Now that their relationship was out in the open though, Blaine enjoyed getting to know Rachel’s friends, especially Kurt. Even though Kurt was a junior, the curriculum had been different at McKinley and they shared a few classes at Dalton. And of course there was Warblers practice each afternoon. Kurt was like a breath of fresh air there. Blaine loved the Warblers, but they were so rooted in tradition that they could be a bit stodgy at times. Kurt’s sense of whimsy was just the thing to brighten up their routine a bit. And Blaine had to admit it was nice having someone around who understood Rachel’s moods. He really liked Rachel, but sometimes being her boyfriend was hard work, especially since they didn’t get to see each other every day.

  
As they got to know each other better, they grew to realize they had much more in common than just Rachel and took to spending their lunch hours together in the Dalton cafeteria talking about dreams of New York and Broadway and what they would do with their lives once Ohio was but a distant memory.

  
“I think I see myself in NY eventually,” Blaine said one day, “but there are so many good schools, it might be fun to go somewhere else for college, just to experience a different place. Michigan, or Carnegie Mellon…Of course there are good schools in New York too, so I wouldn't rule it out either.”

  
“I really can't see myself anywhere but New York. It's been my dream pretty much since I realized it existed,” Kurt said. “I can't believe you know so much about colleges already, and you're a whole year behind me. I guess I need to start figuring that out.”

  
“Yeah, partly it's my parents. It just something they've always talked about with me. But Dalton is pretty serious about preparing us early too. I guess it wasn't like that at McKinley?”

  
“McKinley has one guidance counselor for the entire school. She tries I guess, but…” He trailed off, shrugging. “Sometimes being here makes me feel like I'm so far behind everyone else.”

  
“Don't say that, Kurt. You can't compare your journey to anyone else's. And besides, you haven't really been here that long yet. It's going to take a little time to settle in. One transition at a time. How can you think about college when you're still getting used to Dalton?”

  
Kurt hadn't really thought about it that way. “I suppose you're right. I just want to feel like I belong somewhere, you know? As grateful as I am for Dalton, I don't really feel that way yet. I almost don't expect to feel that way anywhere until I get to New York. Which makes me feel like maybe I should have a better plan for getting there by now.”

  
“Well, if it'll help, we can research performing arts schools together after practice sometime. I've got a bunch of schools’ websites already bookmarked. I'd be happy to share with you.”

  
“You'd do that for me?”

  
“Well, it's not like I can't use the info too, but yes, of course. We're friends, right? If it'll make you feel better to have a plan, then I want to help you.”

  
Blaine was not like anyone Kurt had met before. He doubted any of his friends from McKinley would have made the same offer.

“Thanks, Blaine. I think, yeah, I'd like that.”

  
“Great! Then operation Get Kurt to New York is officially a go.”

  
Kurt laughed. He really was glad to have found a friend like Blaine.

  
Later that week, Blaine made good on his promise to help and they sat together in front of Kurt's laptop clicking through lists of college rankings and sifting out programs in New York. When they'd made some good progress with Kurt's college search the afternoon devolved into hunting for fantasy New York apartments that in their wildest dreams they'd never be able to afford. Then Kurt entered some more modest search terms and while the tiny walk ups that appeared were far from glamorous, he began to be able to picture himself in them and that was enough to fuel his daydreams for now.

~

  
With the holidays approaching, Blaine was hoping to earn a little extra cash performing in the Christmas Spectacular at the nearby amusement park. He asked Rachel if they could get together after school one night to practice, but she begged off, saying that she needed to practice her own songs if she was ever going to earn a solo for Regionals. “Kurt has the range to sing the girl’s part of that song though,” she told him. “Why don’t you ask him to help you?”

  
And though it seemed strange, Blaine really did need someone to practice with if he was going to get this job, so he put all thoughts of singing a Christmas duet with another guy out of his head and asked for Kurt’s assistance.

  
“Hey, Kurt,” he said after Warblers practice one day, “do you have a minute?”

  
“Sure, Blaine, what's up?”

  
“Rachel said you might be able to help me rehearse my audition song for the Christmas Spectacular. It's a duet and…” Blaine hesitated. “God, I feel terrible asking, but I…”

  
“Need someone to sing the girl’s part?” Kurt finished for him. “Blaine, it's fine. You don't need to feel bad. I'm well aware of my vocal range, and I'm not ashamed of it. And yes, I'll help you. I'd be glad to.”

  
“Oh,” Blaine said. “I...well...thank you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made a big deal of it. I just...yeah…” He suddenly felt embarrassed. “So, when's a good time for you?” he asked, trying to put the awkwardness behind him.

  
“We've got some time before dinner. How about now?” Kurt replied.

  
Once they started singing all awkwardness was forgotten. Blaine was completely in character, flirting his way through “Baby It’s Cold Outside” without a thought to the fact that he was singing to a guy. Kurt tried his best to remember that they were acting, that Blaine was Rachel's boyfriend, but the way his honey eyes twinkled mischievously made it hard not to imagine what it would be like to have Blaine sing to him for real. He'd been smitten since he heard Blaine sing “Teenage Dream” on the day they they met. He valued Blaine's friendship and did his best to put his feelings aside, but being on the receiving end of his imploring glances, even if they were only an act, made it hard.

  
“You were amazing, Blaine,” Kurt said when they finished. “They'd be crazy to give the job to anyone else.”

  
“Thanks, Kurt. If I get it, you'll come see me, right? It's always nice to have a friendly face in the audience.”

  
“ _When_ you get it. And of course I will. I wouldn't miss it.” The truth was singing the flirty duet with Blaine had stoked the embers of Kurt's crush, and watching Blaine flirt with a girl onstage, even if it was just an act, would only be a reminder of what he couldn't have. But he'd go to support his friend. Blaine had been there for him since he transferred to Dalton and it was the least he could do to repay his kindness.

  
A few days later Blaine bounded into Warblers practice with the news that he landed the spot.

  
“Of course you did,” said Kurt, as the guys erupted into cheers for their friend.

  
Blaine gave Kurt a quick hug of thanks for helping him practice. “I couldn't have done it without you,” he said.

  
“That's not true and you know it! But thank you. I guess I can take some of the credit,” he said with mock pride as Wes banged his gavel, trying to restore order and get rehearsal underway.

  
“Remember, you said you'd come see me,” Blaine said to Kurt as they took their places.

  
“I'll be there, Blaine. I promise.”

  
The downside of being in the show was that Blaine had performances all weekend long, which left little time at all to see Rachel. She was beginning to get irritated at his absence. “But Blaine, I never get to see you anymore,” she complained one night on the phone. “It’s the holidays! I want to bake cookies and go caroling, not sit at home while you’re out there singing for other girls.”

  
“Rachel, I’m not singing for other girls! I’m just singing, in the show, for the whole audience. If you miss me so much, you should come see me sometime! Kurt said he would come this weekend. Maybe you two can come together, and then afterwards we can all go out for hot chocolate.”

  
Rachel considered this. It seemed it might be the only way they’d get to see each other at all until after the holidays, so she agreed that she would come. “I’ll call Kurt for the details and we’ll see you there,” she said before saying goodnight and heading off to start her pre-bedtime routine.

  
That Saturday, Rachel and Kurt sat in the audience watching Blaine up on stage singing song after song with his castmates, throwing flirty winks Rachel’s way as often as he could get away with. Kurt sighed. “I wish I had someone who’d flirt with me like that. You’re a lucky girl, Rach."

"Oh, Kurt, you’ll find someone,” Rachel replied, but Kurt knew the likelihood of him finding love here in conservative suburban Ohio was slim. He tried to keep his sights set on graduation and New York, but that was still over a year away, and sometimes he just felt lonely.

  
As the show ended, the cast took their bows and Kurt and Rachel got to their feet to applaud with the rest of the audience. They met Blaine backstage as planned, and Rachel gave him a hug and a kiss, exclaiming, “You were the best one!”

  
“I don’t know about that,” Blaine said modestly, “but thanks.”

  
Kurt smiled at his humility. “She’s right, Blaine, you were amazing up there!” he told his friend, trying not to gush too much. Blaine glanced over at Kurt, slightly embarrassed at the praise, but smiled and thanked him anyway.

  
As the trio headed to the concession stand, Blaine put his arm around Rachel, and Rachel linked her arm through Kurt’s, keeping each other warm in the cold December night. Rachel felt lucky to have her boyfriend and her best friend at her sides, and Blaine was glad that he was finally getting to spend some time with his girlfriend. Kurt was becoming such a good friend at Dalton that he didn’t mind having him along as well. Their happy camaraderie was buoyed by the incessant Christmas carols being played over the park’s loud speakers and soon all three of them were singing at the top of their lungs, giggling like the oldest of friends reunited in holiday cheer.

 

Finally classes were over for the holiday break, and after one last Warblers practice, Kurt said goodbye to Blaine for the week and headed home to his parents’ house in Lima. He’d be seeing Blaine at Rachel’s New Year’s Eve party the following week, but he realized with a pang that he’d miss his new friend while they were apart. Blaine had made Dalton start to feel like home for him, and for that he was grateful.

“Merry Christmas!” he called over his shoulder as he looked back and waved goodbye to Blaine.

  
“See you soon!” Blaine smiled and returned the wave, glad that he’d been able to help ease Kurt’s transition to Dalton and that he seemed to have found a kindred spirit in the process. The other Warblers loved to sing, but no one had the same passion for performing that Blaine did until Kurt came along. It felt good not to be the only one at Dalton not planning a career in law or medicine or business. Blaine hated that his friend had been bullied so much he’d had to transfer, but he had to admit he was glad to have Kurt at Dalton with him now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't intend to post this until it was completely finished. WIPs make me a little bit crazy and I didn't want to subject anyone to that! But I truly do think that I'm almost done writing and I am definitely dedicated to finishing. Perhaps getting this out there will be the impetus I need to get those last few scenes resolved! I'd love to hear your comments, so please don't be shy!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it seems my plan worked and I've been making progress on those final scenes, so let's celebrate with another chapter! Thanks for reading!

The next week found Blaine along with most of the New Directions in Rachel’s basement, complete with a stage and karaoke machine, getting ready to celebrate the new year. Rachel’s dads had gone out to their own party, trusting Rachel when she said she was just going to have a few friends over to watch the ball drop. What no one had counted on was Puck bringing the beer he’d gotten with his fake ID and convincing Rachel to let him raid the liquor cabinet in the name of not having her party declared the social disaster of the millennium.

Blaine had been looking forward to spending time with Rachel that night, especially since they’d barely seen each other all month, but she was so preoccupied making sure everyone was having a good time that she hardly had time for Blaine. He spent most of the evening hanging out with Kurt, listening to stories about his old friends in the New Directions and laughing over some of the ridiculous performances that resulted from Mr. Schue’s theoretically inspirational Glee assignments.

When Kurt went off to talk to Mercedes, Blaine suddenly realized that he could use the lure of the stage to get Rachel’s attention—she could never resist a performance! He cued up the karaoke machine, waltzed over to her with a pink bedazzled microphone and started singing his part of “Don’t You Want Me” before she knew what hit her. By the time her cue came up, they were both on stage dancing and singing like they’d been born to do it. They both were a little bit buzzed from the drinks they’d had, and when the song was over Rachel was struck with an inspiration.

“Let’s play Spin the Bottle!” she yelled to her friends, and while people were a bit skeptical—what was this, junior high?—they’d all had just enough alcohol to go along with it. All except for Kurt, who was still sober. He looked around the room in amusement though, wondering what random pairings would result from this. As if the New Directions hadn’t been through almost every possible combination of couples already. This could be very entertaining indeed.

Brittany grabbed the bottle and said that she would go first, and kissed Sam with abandon when the bottle pointed to the handsome blond. Rachel then declared it to be her turn. Blaine willed the bottle to land on him. He didn’t particularly relish the idea of his girlfriend kissing another guy, especially when her ex-boyfriend Finn was in the room. Kurt’s step-brother or not, the guy was on the football team and towered over Blaine, making him feel less than the man Rachel deserved. But the bottle landed on Artie instead and Rachel walked over to give a chaste kiss to her friend in the wheelchair. Disaster averted.

“Your turn Blaine!” shouted Rachel as she walked back to the circle.

Blaine was nervous. He didn’t know most of these people very well, but he didn’t want to be a spoilsport, so he grabbed the bottle and gave it a spin, hoping that it would land on Rachel so he would be saved the embarrassment of a drunken kiss with a stranger. But the bottle spun past Rachel and pointed instead straight at Kurt.

Kurt?

His friend seemed to blush, but Blaine was just drunk enough to throw caution to the wind. It was just a silly party game after all—it didn’t really matter who he kissed, and at least he knew Kurt.

Blaine leaned forward and met Kurt’s eyes for a brief moment before placing a steadying hand on his shoulder and bringing their lips together. Kurt's lips were soft beneath his own and Blaine felt a warm rush wash over him at the contact. He'd intended to give Kurt a quick peck and be done with it, but he felt his hand slide up from Kurt's shoulder to his jaw as he opened his mouth and slid his tongue against Kurt’s lower lip. There were whoops and hollers coming from the group and he thought he heard someone, maybe Santana, call out “Get it, Anderson!” which finally drew his attention away from Kurt. He pulled away quickly then, startled at how bold he had been. And at how good kissing Kurt had felt.

Kurt had somehow been relaxed enough to kiss Blaine back at first, but when he felt Blaine’s tongue slide out, he drew in a sharp breath and sat frozen. He shook his head now to pull himself back to reality and watched as Blaine crossed the room to the bar in search of another beer. Despite his occasional daydreams about what kissing Blaine would be like, he’d never expected that it would ever actually happen. He knew it was only a game, that it didn't mean anything, but that kiss had definitely gone further than it needed to to satisfy the spirit of the rules. Kurt shook his head again, trying to clear his mind. There was no sense getting worked up over it. The bottom line was that Blaine had a girlfriend and Kurt couldn’t let himself get caught up in fantasies that would never come true.

The game continued for a bit until people started drifting away to dance, sing or drink. Soon it was almost midnight, someone had popped the cork on a bottle of champagne, and Blaine sought out Rachel to ring in the new year by her side. When they kissed it occurred to Blaine that it didn’t feel anything like kissing Kurt had earlier. It was pleasant, but he didn’t feel the same fire coursing through him that he had felt with Kurt. He didn’t quite know what to make of that, but he figured this wasn’t the time to try to sort it out, so he went back to dancing with Rachel, enjoying the party, and celebrating the start of a new year.

 

Blaine woke the next morning in a strange bed, his head pounding. Exactly how much had he had to drink the night before? And where was he? He pulled himself together enough to glance around the room and saw Kurt sitting at his vanity. “Kurt, I…” he murmured still not quite awake and apparently very hungover.

“Morning, Blaine,” Kurt cut him off. “You had quite a bit to drink last night. There’s no way you’d have been able to drive all the way back to Westerville, and we didn’t think Rachel’s dads would find it appropriate for you to stay there, so she sent you home with me.”

Kurt himself hadn’t been so sure about the plan, given his still not-quite-vanquished crush and the unexpected kiss between them during Spin the Bottle that left Kurt wondering why Blaine had looked so flustered afterwards. But Blaine was his friend so he had agreed to let him crash at his house. Since Blaine was straight, Kurt’s dad was fine with him staying in Kurt’s room, though he wasn’t too happy that there had been drinking going on at Rachel’s party.

“There’s Advil and a glass of water on the nightstand,” Kurt said to Blaine. “Once you’ve had a shower and some coffee, maybe you’ll feel alive enough to drive home.”   

“Thanks, Kurt,” Blaine said, grateful that he had a friend who would look out for him when he made dumb choices, like getting wasted at his girlfriend’s party. As he dragged himself out of bed, he tried to remember the events of the night before. Everything was so fuzzy. He guessed he’d had more to drink than he intended. He turned on the shower and climbed in to let the warm water spill over him, hoping that it would rinse away the effects of the hangover. He started absently humming to himself, recognizing the tune as a song that had played at the party the night before when suddenly it hit him. He had kissed Kurt. He had _liked_ kissing Kurt. But, he was straight. He had a girlfriend. _Surely it was just the alcohol,_  Blaine thought to himself. _Yes, of course, that’s all it was,_  he reassured himself. _I was drunk. It didn’t mean anything_. Blaine went back to shampooing his hair and tried to put the kiss out of his mind.

Except that the entire drive back to Westerville, it was practically all he could think of. Kurt had acted completely normal that morning, not mentioning a thing about the kiss, and sending him on his way with a quick hug and a promise to meet up for coffee before school resumed the following week. Kurt didn’t seem at all freaked out. But then, why should he? It was just a stupid party game. Lots of people had kissed last night, even Santana and Brittany when Brit had insisted on a second spin. This was no different. But Blaine couldn’t help but think of it. He had butterflies in his stomach thinking of it. He thought of all the kisses he’d shared with Rachel, trying to conjure up one time that it had made him feel the electricity he’d felt kissing Kurt and he couldn’t do it. It wasn’t that he didn’t like kissing Rachel. He did. He just didn’t know before that a kiss could feel this way. The fact that it had happened with Kurt, his friend, a _guy?_  Blaine didn’t know what to make of it.

 

Soon school was back in session and the Warblers resumed practicing full tilt. There was no way they were taking any chances this time. They’d only tied the New Directions to move on to Regionals. They needed to be at the top of their game if they were going to win outright and make it to Nationals. The council added mandatory weekend practices, which meant that Blaine now had even less time for Rachel. Which is why he’d agreed, against his better judgement, to tag along with Rachel and Kurt for their annual _Sound of Music_ sing-along one Friday night. He hated to intrude on their tradition, but Rachel had practically insisted he come, so there he sat, Rachel on one side, Kurt on the other, singing along to “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and holding Rachel’s hand all the while. As Kurt’s clear voice rang out beside him, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to hold his hand instead. He tried to shake the thought away, to focus on the movie and his girlfriend, but it felt like he was fighting a magnetic force that was urging him to reach out for Kurt.

As much as he had tried to blame it on the alcohol, he was beginning to think that there might be much more to it than that. He’d found himself stealing glances at Kurt during rehearsals, finding excuses to clap him on the back or touch his arm, and each exchange sent tingles up his spine. Kurt was a friend, but Blaine had never had these kinds of feelings about a friend before, male or female. He wanted to be near him all the time. He found himself making excuses for them to spend extra time together. Blaine didn’t really need extra help with his French homework, but something inside him really didn’t want their study session to end just yet either. What had gotten into him?

He wasn’t really any closer to figuring it out as he sat one afternoon weeks later at the Lima Bean, which was already fully decked out with hearts and cupids in anticipation of the upcoming Valentine’s holiday. He was waiting for Rachel to arrive. She’d uncharacteristically asked him to meet her there on a weekday, only saying she had something she wanted to tell him and it needed to be in person. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was good news or bad news, but either way he knew it must be big if it couldn’t wait for the weekend or be said on the phone or over Skype.

“Blaine, good, you’re here. We need to talk,” Rachel said as she walked up and joined him at the table. Blaine looked at her questioningly and she forged ahead, wanting to get this over with. “Listen to me, Blaine. I really like you, I do, but with all of the hours we’re both putting into rehearsals, we barely even see each other anymore. And when we do, we have to censor what we talk about. We’re both getting backlash about fraternizing with the enemy. I just think maybe it would be better if we stopped dating for now.”

Blaine’s face fell. Rachel made some very good points of course, but that didn’t mean what she was saying didn’t still hurt. “Rachel, I… Are you saying just until the competition, because after that…”

“I don’t know, Blaine. I really don’t. But you understand, don’t you? I think right now we both need to focus on other things. If it’s meant to be, well… let’s just cross that bridge if we come to it, ok?”

“Ok,“ Blaine agreed softly, sadness in his eyes. He wondered if it really was just because of Regionals, or if she was tired of him. Or, what if she had noticed the way he’d been looking at Kurt lately? Did she know? Blaine didn’t want to think about it. “Ok, Rachel, I hope… well, I hope we can still be friends at least?”

“Of course, Blaine,” she smiled warmly, as if that went without saying. She grabbed his hand across the table and gave a quick squeeze. “I really have to go now though. Mr. Schue scheduled an extra glee practice tonight. I don’t want to be late.” And with that she stood and left Blaine alone with his thoughts, wondering exactly what had just happened, and why even though he was sad, he suddenly also felt free.

 

Back at Dalton, Blaine caught up with his friend Nick after a particularly long and grueling Warblers practice. “Nick, can I talk to you about something?” Blaine asked.

“Sure,” said Nick, “What’s up?”

Blaine glanced around, looking for privacy. He wasn’t sure this was a conversation he wanted to have in a common room. “Um, can we talk in your room? It’s kind of… kind of personal, and…”

“Of course,” Nick replied, casting a curious glance at his friend. He’d never seen Blaine so nervous and wondered what could be wrong.

The two quickly crossed campus to Nick’s dorm, and as soon as they were behind closed doors Nick turned to Blaine. “What’s going on, Blaine? You seem upset. Is everything ok?”

Blaine settled into Nick’s desk chair, while Nick took a seat on his bed. “Yeah, it’s fine, it’s just…” Blaine ran his fingers through his hair, not really knowing where to begin. “Rachel broke up with me.” He decided to start with the easy part.

“Oh, man, Blaine, I’m sorry,” Nick said. “Did she say why?”

“Just that both of us are so busy with Regionals and don’t really have time for each other and…” Blaine took a deep breath. “Nick, the thing is, I’m sad about it and all, but…”

“But what, Blaine? Just tell me what’s going on. We’ve been friends for years. I’m pretty sure that whatever it is can’t be all that terrible.”

“I just… I think I might have feelings for someone else,” Blaine whispered. He hung his head and buried his face in his hands, trying to gather the courage to tell Nick the rest, because trying to sort this out on his own clearly was not working out very well.

“Oh,” replied Nick, a little surprised, but not really seeing what the big deal was in that. “Anybody I know?” he asked, wondering if it could be one of the girls from Dalton’s sister school.

Blaine was terrified. But Nick was one of his oldest friends and he knew he could trust him. One more deep breath and he was forcing the words out before he lost his courage completely and bolted from the room. “It—it’s…Kurt.” he said, his voice small and uncertain.

“Wait, Kurt?” asked Nick. He was confused. “But, you’re …” Nick trailed off, suddenly realizing what had Blaine so worked up. “Oh,” he said. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” Blaine said, looking up at his friend, tears starting to well in his eyes. The relief at having told someone was overwhelming, but that still didn’t help the confusion he was feeling.

“Wow…” Nick was a bit in shock. “I don’t really know what to say, Blaine. How… When did you….?”

“It started at Rachel’s New Year’s party, I guess,” Blaine started to explain. “We played Spin the Bottle, and, well, I had to kiss him and I thought maybe it was just because I was drunk but, Nick, I’ve never had a kiss feel like that before. And now I can’t stop thinking about him, about how it would feel to kiss him again, or hold his hand. I just… I don’t know what to think.”

Nick thought for a moment before speaking gently to his friend. “I’m glad you trusted me with this, Blaine. I know it can’t have been easy for you and this has to be confusing, wondering what it all means, questioning who you are… But here’s the thing, man. Who knows what this is with Kurt? Maybe it’s a crush or maybe it’s real, or maybe it was just the alcohol. But unless you follow your heart and see where it goes, you won’t know, will you? You’ll always wonder if it was just a drunken moment or if it really means something.”

Blaine considered this for a moment. Was Nick really telling him to _act_ on his feelings for Kurt? Because having the feelings was scary enough, but doing something about them? _That_ was terrifying. “I…I don’t know if I can, Nick,” he blurted out. “I mean, he’s my friend, and a Warbler and… Nick, what if I ruin everything?” Blaine asked desperately.

“What if you don’t?” came Nick’s simple reply.


	3. Chapter 3

The more Blaine thought about it, the more he realized Nick was right. He had to be brave, had to see if there really was something to his feelings for Kurt or whether it had just been a meaningless drunken kiss that was fueling all of this. But how? He couldn’t exactly just walk up to Kurt and repeat the kiss. Blaine needed a plan. Then one day as the Warblers were pumping Kurt for information about the New Directions that they could use to get a leg up at the competition, it came to him. Blaine stood to speak, interrupting the council but for once not really caring about manners.

“Kurt’s right,” he said, “We can’t win this thing without featuring more vocalists. Which is why I want to turn my solo into a duet.” The room exploded in voices, everyone talking at once.

“But Blaine, you’re the best singer we have,” protested Wes, trying to regain order.

“Thank you for saying so,” said Blaine, “but I can’t win this by myself. I want to sing a duet. With Kurt,” he concluded, before he lost his nerve.

Even Kurt protested that that was crazy, that there should be auditions first, but Blaine had insisted. They’d all heard Kurt’s beautiful rendition of “Blackbird” earlier that day and knew that his voice was stunning and unique. In the end they had all agreed to Blaine’s plan, hoping that their two strong voices could indeed carry them to victory over the New Directions.

Blaine was a bundle of nerves when he walked into the common room where Kurt was waiting for him to practice their duet. He couldn’t believe he had the courage to suggest changing his solo, and that the council had actually agreed to it. And now, here he was. Alone. With Kurt.

 _Stop being ridiculous, Blaine!_ he thought to himself. _You’ve been alone with Kurt plenty of times before. You’re friends. This is not a big deal._

But it _was_ a big deal. Blaine was about to put himself out there like he had never done before. To take a chance that could prove disastrous. Or wonderful. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and stepped towards Kurt.

“Hi,” he said trying to look and sound normal.

“Hey, Blaine,” said Kurt, looking up from the book he had been reading. “Ready to practice?” he asked.

“Sure,” Blaine answered, “but…can I talk to you about something first?” _Here we go, no turning back now._

“Of course,” Kurt said, looking at Blaine quizzically. He seemed nervous. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Kurt, I…” For as many times as Blaine had played this conversation out in his head, he still wasn’t really sure what to say or how to say it. He ducked his head in embarrassment and tried not to turn ten shades of red. He sat down across from Kurt and looked at him over the table. The feeling that washed over him as he looked into Kurt’s eyes was becoming all too familiar. His body hummed with the desire to reach out to him.

All at once, Blaine realized that he could do it, just reach out and grab Kurt’s hand. Before he could talk himself out of it, he reached across the table and placed his hand on top of Kurt’s. Kurt seemed surprised, but left his hand where it was. He looked at Blaine, his eyes full of questions that Blaine wasn’t sure if he could answer. But he knew he had to say something, so he took a breath and began.

“Hi,” he said, still quite flustered and not at all sure that this had been such a good idea after all. “So, the thing is Kurt…” Could he really do this? Kurt was looking at him expectantly, curiously, waiting to see if what Blaine said would help make sense of the strange energy that had come over the room.

“I…” Blaine tried again. The words wouldn’t come, he didn’t know how to form them and force them from his lips. But desperate to figure this thing out, to make Kurt understand what was going on in his head, he gathered all of his courage, leaned forward and briefly pressed a kiss to Kurt's lips. Kurt was too startled to kiss back, but he didn’t pull away either.

“Blaine, I… what was that for?” Kurt stammered, having absolutely no clue what was going on. Yes he’d had a crush on Blaine since he first came to Dalton, but Blaine was straight (wasn’t he?) and beyond that he had just broken up with Kurt’s best friend. None of this made sense.

The rush he felt kissing Kurt again floored Blaine. It suddenly became exceedingly clear that whatever he’d felt that night at Rachel’s was not simply the result of one too many beers. It gave him the courage he needed to be honest, to finally tell Kurt how he’d been feeling. To find out if there was any chance Kurt felt the same.

“Kurt, I’ve been thinking about doing that since that night in Rachel’s basement. I was terrified to admit it and confused about what it meant, and to be perfectly honest I still kind of am, but I know now that it wasn’t just the buzz that made me feel those fireworks when I kissed you before.” He stopped for a moment, looking at Kurt.

Kurt wasn’t sure what to think. Had Blaine really just kissed him? Confessed that he’d been wanting to for weeks? But…

“Blaine, I thought…I thought you were straight. I mean, Rachel, and…?” Kurt trailed off, not knowing what to say, what to make of all of this.

“I thought so too,” Blaine smiled shyly. “But I guess I just never had a reason to question it before. And Rachel...don’t get me wrong, Kurt, I cared about her, I still do, but we were spending all this time together at camp and before I knew it she called me her boyfriend and it just sort of happened.”

Kurt couldn't help but laugh. “Rachel does have that effect on people,” he said.

“And it was nice, but Kurt, I never felt with Rachel the way I feel around you. When I’m near you, my heart races. I want to hold your hand, feel your touch. Kiss you.” He looked into Kurt’s eyes, hoping against hope that he hadn’t just ruined their friendship entirely, because that duet would be torture if they couldn’t even look at each other. _Oh, no,_ he thought, starting to panic, _what have I done?_

“Blaine, I… wow.” This really was a lot to take in. Kurt could see the fear starting to gather in Blaine’s eyes and knew he had to say something to put the other boy at ease. Blaine’s hand still sat atop Kurt’s, and Kurt covered it gently with his other hand as he continued.

“I have a confession to make,” Kurt said, hoping what he was about to say would help calm Blaine’s obvious nerves. “I’ve had a crush on you since the moment I first saw you on the staircase last fall. But well, you were dating Rachel. I thought you were straight. I couldn’t let myself get my hopes up, but I never quite got over that crush. And now here you are, telling me you have feelings for me…” Kurt chuckled softly, shaking his head. “I can’t quite believe this is actually happening, Blaine. And if I’m being honest, I’m a bit afraid to let my guard down. I don’t know if I could handle just being an experiment for you…”

“No,” Blaine interjected, “No, Kurt, you’re not an experiment. Yes, this is new for me. I’ve never had feelings for a guy before, but I like you, Kurt. As more than just a friend. I was scared by that at first. I didn’t know what it meant. For me. But I’m not scared anymore. And I’m still figuring out what it means for me, but the label doesn’t matter, Kurt. I just know how I feel. About you. If that makes me gay, then maybe…maybe I am?” Blaine gave a small shrug and looked at Kurt helplessly, hopefully, not knowing if Kurt would even be willing to date him if he didn’t know for sure that he was gay. “Please say you’ll give me a chance.”

Kurt looked into Blaine’s earnest eyes and knew that what Blaine said was true. He trusted Blaine. Being with him might just be a risk, but Kurt thought it was one worth taking. He wasn’t sure what to say next, so he smiled and leaned forward to gently touch Blaine’s cheek before kissing him softly on the lips.  They separated and gazed at each other for a moment, smiling bashfully at what had just transpired.

“So, that’s a yes then?” Blaine asked.

“Yes, Blaine, that's a yes.” Kurt smiled back at him. “I know this is new for you. Truth is, I’ve never had a boyfriend either, so it’s kind of new for me too. I think maybe we should just take things slowly and see what happens.”

“Yeah, I’d like that, Kurt,” Blaine said, clearly relieved that he hadn’t just made a horrible mistake. “Come on, we should probably practice that duet if we’re going to have any chance at winning Regionals.”

~

In the interest of taking things slowly, and so as not to cause any distractions to their teammates as they prepared for Regionals, Kurt and Blaine decided not to tell anyone about their new relationship right away. Chances were none of the Warblers would care if Blaine was dating a boy, but the news would divert their focus and they needed to be perfect if they were going to beat the New Directions and make it to Nationals. But despite their best attempts, the boys couldn’t resist flirty glances and shy smiles across the room, or brushing their hands together whenever they were close enough to do so. They’d always been affectionate with one another though, so the hugs and small touches that passed between them were nothing unusual. If any of the Warblers noticed Blaine’s hand resting lightly on Kurt’s thigh as they sat shoulder to shoulder on the couch in the rehearsal room while the council laid out the practice schedule for the coming week, no one said anything. It certainly helped that everyone was so focused on the competition, they barely had time to notice anything else.

 

“So, one more run through?” Blaine asked as he and Kurt finished the last refrain of their duet. They were practicing on their own this afternoon, and would join the others later to work on the choreography for the number.

“I think I’m not going to have a voice left for Regionals if we keep practicing this hard,” Kurt replied. “How about we take a break and get some tea instead? We can come back to it later. I think we have it down pretty well anyway at this point. Hard to improve on perfection,” he said with a wink.

Blaine laughed and agreed, gathering up his things and heading for the doors with Kurt. “Where to, good sir? There’s the campus café, or we can head back to my room. My mom makes sure I always have a stash of tea on hand, and if we’re alone then maybe I can kiss you again like I’ve been wanting to all day.” The room where they’d been practicing didn’t have quite enough privacy for them to take the risk of being caught.

“Ah, I like the way you think. And we wouldn’t want your mom’s tea to go to waste. Lead the way,” Kurt said as he linked arms with Blaine for the short walk across campus.  

When they reached Blaine’s room, he set about preparing the tea for them both, and Kurt settled himself on Blaine’s bed, back against the wall, watching Blaine putter around grabbing mugs and a small jar of honey from his bookshelf. Even though he was only a sophomore, Blaine had a single. His father had wanted to make sure he’d always have someplace quiet to study and was more than happy to pay the extra housing fee so he wouldn’t have a roommate. Kurt realized this was the first time he was in Blaine’s room as something more than just a friend, and it suddenly felt much more intimate to be here. He smiled to himself, and then at Blaine, letting the warmth of that thought wash over him.

“So, does anyone else know that you’re not…well, that you don’t like just girls?” Kurt asked, wondering just what revealing their relationship was going to mean for Blaine. Despite the tolerance at Dalton, coming out was still a big deal.

“Only Nick so far. I had to talk to someone about it, and he’s my oldest friend. He’s actually the one who encouraged me to own up to my feelings for you, not to hide from it because I was scared and confused.”

“Well, I’m glad he did,” said Kurt. “And I’m glad you took his advice. I know that wasn’t easy for you, Blaine. I don’t know if I could have been that brave when I was first realizing that I liked boys. I’ve known for years and still haven’t had the courage to ever ask anyone out. Of course most of the guys I’ve had crushes on have been straight anyway, so it’s kind of irrelevant.”

Blaine crossed the room with two mugs of tea, handing one to Kurt and settling beside him on the bed. “It wasn’t easy, but I think it was worth it,” he said, smiling at Kurt over his mug. “As for brave, well, I don’t think it was so much that as not being able to deal with the uncertainty anymore. Admitting my feelings to Nick was a relief. It made me feel like even though I had no clue what any of it meant, I at least wasn’t alone anymore. He made me see that the only way I was going to get rid of the uncertainty was to act on what I thought I was feeling, and see if there really was something between us.”    

“I hope there is,” Kurt said quietly, looking at Blaine.

Blaine reached out his free hand for Kurt’s and pulled it to his lips, offering a gentle kiss. “Me too,” he said. “And if the past few days are any indication, I’d say there definitely is.” He reached over to set his mug down on his desk and then turned back to Kurt. “About that kiss I mentioned earlier,” he said, and raised his eyebrows hopefully at Kurt, waiting for permission. Kurt nodded, and Blaine leaned in for a chaste kiss, settling himself against Kurt’s shoulder contentedly afterwards. For as new as this all was to him, it somehow just felt right. “I think I could get used to this,” he said.

“Mmm…me too,” murmured Kurt, leaning in to rest his head against Blaine’s. “Have you thought about what you want to tell people, I mean, when we do…”

“Well, I don’t want to make a big deal about it. I think the Warblers will catch on without a big announcement, and then, well, they’ll just know. If anyone has questions, they can ask me. I don’t really want to ‘come out’ as anything yet, but I like you, Kurt, and I want to be with you. I think that can speak for itself.”

“What about your parents? Will they be upset do you think?”

“I don’t know, but I have a cousin who’s gay, and they’ve never been anything but kind to Trent, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I mean, they’ll be surprised probably, since I’ve never mentioned liking guys before, but I don’t think they’ll disown me or anything.”

“Well that’s good,” Kurt chuckled. He was relieved to hear it. He didn’t know Blaine’s parents well, but he knew his father was pretty strict, and you just never could tell in this part of Ohio when you’d encounter blatant homophobia. If what Blaine said was true, it sounded like the Andersons would probably support their son when he came home to say he was dating a boy. “And what are we going to do about Rachel?” Despite the fact that she was Kurt's best friend he hadn't told her yet either that he and Blaine were together.

“I don’t like keeping this from her.”

“Neither do I, but you have _met_ Rachel, right? She has a single-minded focus on winning before a competition, and I for one do not want to be the one to interfere with that, especially with a trip to Nationals on the line. If the New Directions don’t win, she might never forgive us for distracting her.”

That was probably a bit of an exaggeration, but they really had no idea how Rachel would react to the news and neither boy wanted to be responsible for potentially ruining her focus when so much was at stake. It helped that Rachel had been the one to break up with Blaine. She probably wouldn’t be as hurt by him being with someone else as she would if he’d been the one to end it, but it still would be a surprise to learn that the other person was both a boy and her best friend.  

“Well, eventually we'll have to tell her. Together I think. She’ll probably have questions for me, and even though she broke up with me, she deserves answers. I don’t want to hurt her, or leave her confused about the time when we were together.”

“You’re right. I don’t want to hide this from her any longer than necessary. From anyone, really. After Regionals then. We’ll tell everyone?”

Blaine twisted his head to look up at Kurt. “Yes, after Regionals.” For now they could enjoy the newness of being together, and keep it just for themselves.

 

Later, after a quick dinner at the dining hall, Kurt hurried off to the library to try to get some homework done before the evening Warblers practice, leaving Blaine and Nick alone at their table. Nick couldn’t help but notice the dopey smiles the two exchanged as Kurt left, and he looked at Blaine inquiringly. “So…” he led, looking pointedly at Kurt as he walked away, and then back at Blaine.

Blaine was embarrassed at having been caught, but was too happy to care. He looked up at his friend and smiled. “Yes,” he said. He knew they weren’t planning to say anything until after Regionals, but this was Nick, and he seemed to have already figured it out anyway. Blaine wasn’t going to lie about it to his best friend. “But don’t say anything just yet, ok? We’ll let everyone know soon, but for now…”

“I get it,” said Nick. “I’m happy for you, man.”

“Thanks, Nick, and thanks for being there for me. I don’t think I’d have had the courage to tell him without you.”

“What’re friends for? Just be sure to invite me to the wedding,” he teased. Blaine shook his head and gave his friend a playful shove as they stood to clear their places and head to rehearsal.

“C’mon you goof, we don’t want to be late. You know how Wes gets this close to a competition.”

“Sure do. Let’s not give him any excuse to use that gavel.”

The boys shrugged their coats on as they headed out the doors of the dining hall and made their way quickly across campus. Blaine felt a lightness in his step that he was sure would carry over into their choreography that night. Someone knew about him and Kurt, and was happy for him, for them.

Everything he’d been so unsure of for weeks seemed to be falling into place so easily and the stress of questioning his feelings began to melt away.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to start off this time by thanking everyone who has been reading, commenting and leaving kudos. I'm so happy that people are enjoying this story. I've never attempted to write anything of this length before and it means the world to me that there are people who are interested in my words. Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy...

The day of the competition arrived, and the Warblers gathered excitedly in their backstage dressing room, making last minute adjustments to their uniforms and warming up for their set. Kurt was nervous about his duet with Blaine. He knew they sounded fantastic, but he wasn’t used to being in the spotlight. After one last glance in the mirror to make sure his tie was perfectly knotted and straight, he turned to Blaine and inhaled deeply to try to calm his nerves.

“I think I need a breath of fresh air,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

Blaine offered to join him, but Kurt declined, saying he just needed a moment alone to clear his head and he’d be fine. He made his way out to the lobby and through the glass doors to the courtyard outside. He took a deep breath of the cool March air and shook out his arms to release the tension. The Warblers had this. They were as prepared as they could possibly be and he and Blaine had polished their duet until even the harshest of judges would be sure to find no criticism. They were ready.

Just as Kurt was about to head back inside to join his team, a bus pulled up in front of the building and the New Directions spilled out of it onto the walkway, full of restless energy and eager to get inside and get things underway.

“Kurt!” Rachel called out as she spotted him up ahead. He turned at the sound of his name and smiled when he saw her. He felt like it had been ages since they’d last seen each other, and as much as he loved Dalton, he did miss his best friend.

“Rachel!” he grinned as he pulled her into a warm embrace. They hugged tightly for a moment and then separated before being swept towards the doors by the rest of the group. Kurt and his old friends exchanged quick greetings as everyone rushed to get to their dressing room. Rachel hung back though and grabbed Kurt’s hand, pulling him over to a bench at the edge of the lobby. They’d be adversaries on stage that afternoon, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t take a moment to catch up. As competitors and spectators alike continued to stream into the building, Kurt and Rachel chatted easily, keeping a close eye on the time.

“So…” asked Rachel with a glint in her eyes, “there must be a lot more cute gay boys at Dalton than there are at McKinley. Are you seeing anybody?”

Kurt hadn’t expected that question, but recovered quickly enough to realize that this was not the time to tell Rachel about Blaine. “What? I… no, Rachel. Who has time to think about boys when Wes and David have been working us round the clock getting ready for today? You yourself broke up with Blaine because there was no time for dating with all of the extra rehearsals lately.”

“Point taken,” said Rachel. “And on that note, I really should get back to the rest of the team and get ready. Good luck today, Kurt. I’m sure you’ll be amazing. Just not as amazing as me,” she said with trademark Rachel Berry confidence. Kurt couldn’t help but laugh. Rachel never changed.

“Thanks, Rach,” he said, rising to head back to his own team. He gave her another quick hug and offered his own “Break a leg!” before turning to head back down the hall to the Warblers’ dressing room. Between the fresh air and his chat with Rachel, he was definitely feeling more relaxed. As he walked back into the room, he spied Blaine seated at the other side, his back to the door. He walked up behind him, grabbing his shoulders gently and squeezing. “Is the best duet partner in all of Ohio ready to knock those judges dead out there?” he said.

Blaine laughed and turned his head to look up at Kurt. “I don’t know. _Are_ you?” he winked. Kurt shook his head and smiled fondly at Blaine. “Yes, I definitely am. Let’s do this!”

 

Not long afterwards, Kurt and Blaine were seated side by side in the auditorium with the rest of the Warblers watching the New Directions perform. Rachel hadn’t said a word about their set list, nor had anybody else. Mercedes and Artie opened with a duet, and Kurt was glad to see them getting the attention they deserved, though he couldn’t help but be a little bit bitter that as soon as he left Mr. Schue had apparently decided that it was ok to feature performers other than Rachel and Finn. But he had his duet with Blaine to look forward to, so he tried not to let it bother him too much. Rachel’s solo came next, and was outstanding as usual. They closed with an energetic group number that showed off their vocal talents and Brittany and Mike’s dance moves. The crowd had definitely enjoyed the performance, and Kurt and Blaine rose to join the standing ovation that met the end of their set. As the New Directions left the stage, the Warblers filed out of their seats and headed backstage to await their own turn.

As they stood in the wings waiting for their cue to hit the stage, Kurt’s nerves returned. But Blaine stood in front of him and grabbed his hands, looking him straight in the eye. “We’re ready for this, Kurt. _You’re_ ready. Your voice deserves to be in the spotlight and we are going to kill it out there.” Kurt gratefully absorbed Blaine’s confidence, squeezing his hands back in acknowledgment and nodding while taking a deep, calming breath. “Okay,” he said, “let’s go.”

They began with a group number, for which Kurt was grateful. It let him get his bearings on stage, and the adrenaline of performing kicked in, so when it came time for his and Blaine’s duet he was more than ready. Blaine had sung the lead on “Raise Your Glass” and as the applause died down, Kurt stepped forward from the group to join him, catching his eye and smiling as he did so. Their performance of “Perfect” was just that. Their voices blended beautifully and any fears Kurt had evaporated. The Warblers left the stage confident that they’d given their all. Now all that was left was to wait for the judges’ decision.

Back on stage for the trophy presentations, the Warblers and New Directions waited anxiously to see which group would be going to New York for Nationals. A group from Indiana had just been awarded third place. “We had a very difficult decision this year,” the announcer began. “Both of the remaining teams were exceptional. But since only one can advance to Nationals, without further ado, this year’s Midwest Regional Champions are… the Dalton Academy Warblers!” Kurt and Blaine looked at each other in momentary disbelief. They’d won! They exchanged an excited embrace and turned to hug and high five their teammates, who were celebrating with enthusiasm as Wes stepped forward to accept the trophy.

The groups filtered their way off stage and back towards their dressing rooms, the Warblers high on excitement from their win. Blaine caught Kurt’s hand as they walked. “We did it!” he said. “You’re amazing!”

And with that he stopped them, stepping towards Kurt and leaning up to give him a quick hard kiss on the mouth, not caring if any of their teammates saw. He was happy and proud of what they’d accomplished, and they’d agreed to let their secret out after the competition anyway. But right at that moment, Rachel rounded the corner. Reeling from the New Directions loss and startled by what she saw, she reacted in shock.

“I can’t believe you lied to me!” she hurled out.

“Rachel, wait…” they said almost in unison as she turned and stormed off, not even giving them a chance to explain. Kurt hadn’t even had time yet to tell Blaine about the conversation he’d had with Rachel earlier, and he kicked himself now for having deceived her. He could’ve told her he was seeing someone and just put off telling her the details instead of denying it altogether. All he’d done was complicate matters. And Blaine assumed she was angry at him, that she thought he’d lied about his sexuality when they’d been dating.  

Blaine sighed as they watched her trail out of sight. “Well that could have gone better,” he said. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that in public.”

Kurt just shook his head though. “No, don’t apologize. We have nothing to hide and we were celebrating. She’ll be fine once she gets over the shock and we’ve had a chance to talk to her. I’ll text her later. In the meantime, Mr. Anderson, I think we have some more celebrating to do. We’re going to New York!” And with that they headed down the hall to catch up with the rest of the Warblers, gather their things and head to the victory party that surely awaited them back at Dalton. There would be time to worry about Rachel later.

On the bus back to Westerville, Kurt sat with his back to the window, his arms wrapped around Blaine who was leaning back against him. It felt good not to have to check their impulses anymore when it came to displaying affection around their friends. Nick glanced over at them and smiled. Wes turned around from his seat in front of them to congratulate them on their duet. Realization came over him as he looked at them snuggled together.

“Well, that explains it then. Nice job on the duet you two,” he said with a teasing smirk and a shake of his head. He wondered when Blaine started liking boys but figured this wasn’t the time or place to question it. He seemed nothing but content in Kurt’s arms and that was good enough for him. And if some of that chemistry had helped secure the Warblers a place at Nationals, then so much the better.  

Word of their victory had indeed preceded them back to Dalton, and they were met in the common room with streamers and cake when they arrived. The cake would have been a consolation prize had they lost, but this was much, much sweeter. The boys chatted excitedly about New York and even started tossing around ideas for set lists.

“Kurt and Blaine should definitely have another duet,” suggested Trent, “You guys were incredible.”

Blaine beamed. He was used to being praised after a performance, but sharing the praise with Kurt felt even better.

“Thanks, Trent. I guess we’ll see what the council decides, but I definitely wouldn’t mind singing with Kurt again. He’s a great partner,” he said with a wink to Kurt, his eyes all sparkle. Kurt smiled and shook his head. For as much as Blaine didn’t want to make a big announcement, he certainly seemed to be enjoying giving little nods to their relationship and waiting to see who would catch on. To his credit, Trent picked up on the insinuation right away.

“Wait, are you two… ?”

“Yep,” Blaine smiled, “For a couple of weeks now.” He stepped closer to Kurt and slid his arm around Kurt’s waist.

“Huh. I guess I need to get my gaydar checked,” he joked. “If I’d known I had a chance with you, I would’ve asked you out a long time ago.”

“I’m flattered, Trent,” Blaine chuckled. “I’m pretty sure I would have had to turn you down though. I never realized I could feel like this about a guy before Kurt came along. You’re not the only one who assumed I was straight.”

“Well, if things don’t work out, you know where to find me,” Trent teased. “In the meantime, I’ll just have to keep waiting for my Prince Charming.”

Blaine laughed as his friend walked off. He grabbed a slice of cake and two forks from the table and steered Kurt towards one of the long leather couches that decorated the room. “Shall we?”

“Yes,” said Kurt. It had been a busy day and the comfortable couch looked incredibly inviting. The company and the dessert weren’t unappealing either. They shared bites of the cake and chatted about New York and Nationals. As Kurt scooped up the last bit of frosting from the plate, he turned to Blaine more seriously.

“I hate to break up the festive mood, but we really should talk about Rachel.” Blaine’s face fell a bit at the reminder, but he knew Kurt was right. They couldn’t let this fester for too long. “I need to tell you something,” Kurt continued. “I saw Rachel before the competition today. She asked me if I was seeing anyone and I panicked and told her no. She caught me off guard and I just wasn’t thinking.”

“Oh man, and here I thought she was mad at _me_ for not being who she thought I was. I guess she has reason to be upset with us both.”

“What, how could she even fault you for that, Blaine? You couldn’t possibly have told her what you didn’t even realize yourself back then. I’m the one who lied to her.”

“Let’s not forget she wasn’t exactly forthcoming about me when she and I first started dating.”

“She wasn’t, was she? God, no wonder we’re such good friends. We deserve each other! Two wrongs don’t exactly make a right though. I still owe her an apology. Let’s just hope she’ll be as understanding as I was when she finally told me about you. Can you make it to the Lima Bean tomorrow if she’ll come?” Kurt asked.

“Yes, of course,” said Blaine. The sooner they got this out of the way, the better.

Around them the room had started to empty, people heading off to other pursuits for the evening until just a few boys remained.

“Come on. Let’s give these two lovebirds some privacy,” Nick said to Jeff, tossing his head towards the couch where Kurt and Blaine sat together. Blaine just shook his head at his friend and laughed. The gentle ribbing reassured him that all of this was perfectly normal. They were treating him just like they would any of the guys if they had a new boyfriend or girlfriend around. It felt good.

Kurt noted Blaine’s reaction and was glad to see he seemed comfortable. Just as they’d agreed, they hadn’t made a big announcement, but still, Blaine had ‘come out’ to a lot of people that day. “You doing ok, Blaine? It’s been a pretty big day,” he said.

“Better than ok,” Blaine said back, snuggling closer to Kurt. “I have an amazing boyfriend, and we’re going to Nationals.” Blaine hesitated for a moment, realizing what he’d just said. They hadn’t used the word boyfriend before. “Wait, that’s ok right? Can I call you my boyfriend?”

Kurt just smiled. “Of course you can, silly. That’s what I am.” To emphasize his point he leaned over and kissed Blaine, lingering just a little before pulling away. “Now, boyfriend, what do you propose we do with the rest of our evening?”

“Mmm, I’m content right where I am,” Blaine said. “But maybe we order a pizza and move this to my room? We can cuddle and watch a movie?”

“That sounds perfect,” said Kurt. He stood and reached his hands out to pull Blaine off the couch and the two headed for Blaine’s room hand in hand. While Blaine ordered the pizza, Kurt took a moment to text Rachel. He hoped she’d had enough time to calm down a little since their altercation earlier.

_Rachel, I’m sorry for not telling you about Blaine. Will you meet us at the Lima Bean tomorrow to talk? 10:00?_

He waited for a reply, but when one didn’t come he set his phone aside and settled down on Blaine’s bed, pulling up Netflix on his laptop and browsing for something good to watch. Blaine joined him after a moment, resting his head on Kurt’s shoulder for a better view of the screen.

“The number of Marvel movies in your queue concerns me, Blaine,” Kurt teased. Superheroes weren't really his thing, but he was glad to note there were just as many musicals, documentaries and even a smattering of reality tv.

“Hey, there's nothing wrong with superheroes,” Blaine defended himself. “Someone has to save the world. One of these days I'll get you to watch one with me. But for now, what about _The Princess Bride_? You can't go wrong with that.”

Kurt agreed, finding it quickly and pressing play. They snuggled together contentedly, relaxing into each other after their whirlwind of a day. Blaine ran downstairs to pay for the pizza when it arrived and they noshed on it as they watched, quoting lines in their favorite scenes and just enjoying each other’s company.

Midway through the movie, Kurt's phone buzzed with a text notification. It was Rachel.

_I'm not ready to talk yet. I'll let you know when I am._

Kurt's heart sank when he read the message, and he turned the screen to show Blaine.

He sighed, wishing they'd told her in the first place, distraction or not. “We screwed up, Kurt. _I_ screwed up by kissing you today. I should've been more careful knowing Rachel was in the building.”

“This isn't your fault, Blaine. It sucks that she's mad, but she'll get over it. I know she will. And we had good reasons for keeping it quiet. Maybe in hindsight we'd have done things differently, but we can't change the past. I'm sad that she won't talk to us, but she'll come around.”

“I hope you're right,” Blaine said, snuggling closer to Kurt.

“I'm always right,” Kurt joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Blaine looked up at him and smiled, shaking his head and huffing out a little laugh. Kurt gave him a squeeze and drew his attention back to the screen. “Come on, let's see if Westley and Buttercup will escape from the Fire Swamp this time…”

“I wonder...” said Blaine, giving in to Kurt’s attempt at levity. Despite the situation with Rachel, they had plenty to be happy about that day and he decided to focus on the good things instead of the bad.

When the credits rolled, Kurt glanced at the time. “I should probably get going if I’m going to make curfew,” he said, setting aside Blaine’s laptop and sitting up to stretch.

“Ok,” Blaine said as they both stood up. He reached his arms around Kurt’s shoulders and pulled him into a hug, kissing his cheek as he pulled away again.

“Do you call that a proper goodnight kiss, Blaine?” Kurt teased, leaning in to capture Blaine’s lips between his own.

“Oh,” said Blaine when they separated, “I guess I stand corrected. Thank you for showing me the error of my ways.” He reached up to plant one more sweet, lingering kiss on Kurt’s lips before walking him to the door. “I had a great day, Kurt. I’m so glad I got to share it with you.”

“Me too, Blaine. Will I see you at breakfast tomorrow?”

“Oh, no, probably not, actually. I think since Rachel won’t meet us, I’m going to spend the day with my parents, so I’ll probably just have brunch at home with them.”

“Oh, ok. Are you...were you going to tell them about us then?”

“Um, yeah, that’s the plan,” Blaine answered a bit nervously.

“You’ll be fine, Blaine,” Kurt said, trying to reassure them both. “It’s going to be fine.”

“I hope so,” said Blaine.

“Call me after and let me know how it went?”

“Ok, yeah. I can do that.”

Kurt pulled Blaine in for another tight hug. “I’ll be thinking of you. Text me if you need me, ok?”

“I will.”

“Ok. Goodnight then. I’ll talk to you tomorrow…”

“Goodnight, Kurt.”

Blaine sucked in a deep breath as he shut the door behind Kurt. As right as it felt being with him, and as easy as it had been to let their friends in on their secret, telling his parents was a much bigger deal. He hoped he’d be able to get some sleep that night.

The next morning he rose early and showered and dressed carefully before driving to his parents’ house on the other side of Westerville. They were close enough that Blaine could probably have been a day student at Dalton, but his parents traveled frequently so it made sense for Blaine to stay on campus. Between his parents’ travels and events at school, he didn’t even make it home most weekends, but he and his parents tried to spend time together when they could.  

At brunch that day, Blaine was still excited by the Warblers’ win and eagerly anticipating the trip to New York for Nationals. He’d been there many times with his parents, but no matter how many times he went back, it never lost its allure. “I can’t wait to take Kurt to his first Broadway show!” he gushed.

The Andersons had known about Kurt since he’d transferred to Dalton the previous fall. Blaine had mentioned to them that he was friends with Rachel, and that he’d transferred because of the horrible bullying he’d endured at McKinley. They’d even met him once or twice at the Warblers’ various performances that winter. Blaine hadn’t really planned out how to tell his parents that they were dating, but now that he was talking about Kurt, it seemed like as good a time as any to bite the bullet and share his news.

“Speaking of Kurt…” he began. His heart began to race now that the moment was at hand. “I, um… Well, I have something I need to tell you.”

His parents looked at him curiously, slightly worried and wondering what Blaine was going to say.

Blaine took a deep breath and looked at each of his parents in turn. “Kurt and I… we’re dating,” he said simply and waited to see how his parents would react.

“You’re dating?” his mom repeated. “So are you saying…” She trailed off, not sure how to finish her question.

“You like boys?” his father supplied for her, not unkindly.

“I like Kurt,” Blaine said. “I’ve never had feelings for a boy before. I thought I liked Rachel that way, but…” He shrugged. “I don’t know if it means I’m gay, or bi, or something else, but I don’t feel like I need to label it right away either. I just want to be true to my feelings. Right now, I’m happy with Kurt.”

His parents watched him carefully as he spoke. What they saw was a young man who, despite being uncertain about his identity, was certainly comfortable being who he was. And thinking back over the meal they had just shared, there was no denying the way Blaine’s eyes lit up whenever he spoke of Kurt. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson exchanged a glance and a smile at Blaine’s words.

“Then we’re happy for you, Blaine,” his mom replied, rising from her seat to walk around the table and hug her son. Blaine was relieved. He hadn’t thought his parents would react badly, but still it was nice to have that confirmed. He glanced over at his dad, who smiled back at him.

“You’re our son, Blaine, and we love you, no matter what. It might take a little getting used to for us, but Kurt seems like a nice boy. Just don’t let dating distract you from your studies. With Kurt at Dalton, he’ll be around a lot more than Rachel was.”

Blaine laughed inwardly. It figured his dad would be more concerned about his grades than his love life. He’d always worried about disappointing his father academically, but it was nice to know he didn’t have to work so hard to win his approval this time. “Of course, Dad,” he said out loud, still wrapped in his mother’s embrace from behind his chair. “And thanks, for being so understanding. Not every kid has parents who would be.” He extricated himself from his mother’s arms and rose to start clearing the table. “I’m lucky to have you guys.”

“We think we’re pretty lucky to have you, too, Blaine,” his mom said. “Now come help me load the dishwasher and tell me more about this Kurt…”

Blaine was more than happy to oblige.

~

“So it went well?” Kurt asked over the phone later that afternoon.

“Really well, Kurt. They're just happy I'm happy. Oh, and my mom wants to meet you again, now that you're not just some new kid in the Warblers. She says she needs to know the boy I can't seem to stop talking about.”

“Blaine! What have you been telling them?” Kurt asked in mock outrage, laughing as he said it.

“Only good things, I promise,” Blaine laughed back.

“Better be!” said Kurt. “I’m really glad it went well, Blaine. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, Kurt. It feels good, them knowing, and being ok with it. Now if only Rachel would come around… Have you heard from her yet?”

“Nope, not yet. You’ll be the first one to know when I do.”

Blaine sighed. “Ok. Well, I guess I should get back to family time before I have to head back to campus. I’ll stop by when I get back?”

“That sounds good. I need to get back to my history paper anyway. Have fun with the parents!”

“Thanks. It’s Mom’s turn to choose what we do today. I think she’s getting out the Scrabble board. Wish me luck!”

“Like you need luck with that, Blaine…” Kurt said.

“Obviously you’ve never played Scrabble against my mom. She’s vicious.”

“Ah, so that’s where you get it from,” Kurt teased.

“Hey, now!” Blaine said, but he laughed. He guessed he was known for being pretty competitive during game nights in the dorm common room. “Ok, I really do need to go now. See you later, Kurt.”

“Bye, Blaine.”

Blaine tucked his phone into his pocket and headed back downstairs. He knew no matter what the outcome of the game, he’d already won that day. He had Kurt, and he had his parents’ love and approval and that was more than enough to keep him smiling for the rest of the afternoon.

  



	5. Chapter 5

It was Wednesday before Kurt heard back from Rachel. He and Blaine both had been tempted to text her in the meantime, but they figured it was better to just give her some space until she reached out to them. Her text came as they were walking to Warblers’ practice.

_ I’m ready to talk now. Are you still up for the Lima Bean? _

Friday was the soonest all three of them were free to meet after school. Rachel was already seated at a low round table when Kurt and Blaine arrived. They walked over and Blaine sat, while Kurt signaled to the line. “I’m just going to get our drinks. Do you want anything, Rachel?”

“No thanks, I’m good,” she said, lifting her cup to take a sip, and Kurt walked to the counter to order for himself and Blaine.

Blaine sat in awkward silence, not knowing what to say. Rachel looked wary, but thankfully not as upset as she had been the last time they saw each other. 

“I’m sorry about what happened,” he began, but Rachel cut him off before he could continue.

“Blaine, I’m not mad at you. I broke up with you, and it’s really none of my business who you’re dating. I guess I was just surprised. Why didn’t you ever tell me you were bi?”

“Because I’m not? I mean, I don’t know if that’s what I am. I’m not really in a rush to put a label on anything. But being with Kurt feels right to me.”

Rachel nodded in understanding as Kurt returned, placing two cups down on the table and taking a seat next to Blaine.

“Still, I’m sorry about how you found out about us, Rach. It was wrong of us to keep it from you,” Blaine continued.   

“Blaine’s right. We owe you an apology,” said Kurt. “We should have told you sooner that we were together and I shouldn’t have lied and said I wasn’t seeing anyone when you asked. The only reason we waited was that we didn’t want to spring it on you right before Regionals. We weren’t sure how you’d take the news and we didn’t want it to be a distraction. I’m sorry. Can you forgive us?”

“I already have, Kurt. I’m not thrilled that you lied to me, but I get why you did it. It was just kind of a shock, you know? I mean, seeing my ex kissing my best friend, on top of losing the competition… Congratulations, by the way. If the New Directions don’t get to go to Nationals, I’m glad at least that it’s you going instead. You were fantastic. You deserved to win.”  

“Thanks, Rach. So, we’re really ok? You seemed pretty furious the other day…”

“I was at the time and I let my emotions get the better of me. I was already upset and then I just lashed out. I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have done that. I know this should be weird, but I’m actually sort of happy for you two. I know how sweet Blaine is, and Kurt, you deserve that more than anyone I know,” Rachel said with a small smile. Blaine blushed and glanced over at Kurt, who looked back at him with a grin. 

“I am pretty lucky,” Kurt said, giving Blaine's hand a squeeze and causing him to blush even more.

“Ok, you two, enough!” he said, embarrassed. “And thank you, Rachel. It means a lot that you're happy for us, and I'm glad this isn't too weird. I would hate for it to ruin any friendships.”

“Never,” Rachel replied. “We're all going to be just fine.”

They finished their drinks over easy conversation and Kurt and Blaine left feeling relieved. That had gone much better than either of them could have hoped.

 

~

 

Early the next week, Blaine appeared at Kurt’s locker just as Kurt was pulling out the last book he needed. 

“What are you doing Saturday night?” he asked.

“Hmmm…” Kurt pretended to think about it as he shut the locker door. “Whatever it is you’re about to ask me to do?”

Blaine couldn’t resist teasing him back. “Awesome! An Avengers marathon it is then!”

“Eh, at least there are hot guys in spandex. And my favorite guy to cuddle with.”

“Kurt…” Blaine blushed. Kurt’s little compliments made his heart swell. “As sweet as it is that you’d be willing to do that with me, I did actually have another idea. I want to take you on a proper date. In all the time we’ve been together I think the closest we’ve managed is a trip to the mall and lunch at the food court.”

“Hey, that trip to the mall scored me a Marc Jacobs shirt at 75% off! That was a good day!”

Blaine laughed. “I never said it wasn’t. Any day with you is a good day, but I want to do something special. You can even wear your new Marc Jacobs shirt if you want to.” 

“What did you have in mind for this proper date?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Kurt eyed him warily. He wasn’t big on surprises, but from Blaine’s grin and the way his eyes sparkled he could tell how happy it would make Blaine to do this. And odds were if Blaine was the one planning the surprise it would be one Kurt would enjoy.

“Okaaay...at least tell me how I should dress then?”

“Dress up,” said Blaine. “I’ll pick you up at 5.” 

“5 it is. And now, may I escort you to practice?” Kurt said as he offered his arm to Blaine.

“Any time,” Blaine said, linking his arm with Kurt’s and heading towards rehearsal. “Any time.”

 

When Saturday came, Kurt still had no idea where Blaine could be taking him. There were a few upscale restaurants in Westerville, but 5 o'clock was pretty early if they were just going to dinner nearby. He regarded his closet, trying to choose an appropriate outfit, glad that his roommate had gone home for the weekend so he could get ready in peace. Blaine had said to dress up and Kurt was certainly going to take advantage of the opportunity, especially since most days he was stuck with the Dalton uniform. There were only so many ways he could accessorize and still stay within the dress code. The sartorial sacrifice was more than worth it though, to be somewhere that he was challenged academically, appreciated for his unique voice instead of continually stuck in the background and most importantly not shoved into lockers every day just for being himself. It just meant he appreciated his more limited opportunities for fashion that much more.

He finally settled on a slim fitting pair of light gray slacks, a crisp white button down and a silvery gray textured vest. He finished it off with an elegant scarf and was just taking a final glance in the mirror when he heard a knock at his door. He opened it to find Blaine, classically dressed in a tailored charcoal gray suit with a burgundy bow tie at his throat. “Wow. Blaine, you look fantastic.” 

“As do you. I should take you out more often,” he said as he presented the rose he'd been hiding behind his back.

“For me? Blaine, no one’s ever given me a flower before. Thank you,” Kurt said, accepting the bloom. “It's lovely.”

“I wanted to make tonight special. And you deserve to be given flowers, always. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” Kurt said grabbing his jacket and draping it over his arm. He started to leave the rose on his dresser, but didn't want to let it go just yet, so he decided to bring it along. It was nestled in a little vial of water. It would be fine in Blaine's car while they were out.

“So, where are we headed?” he asked as he shut the door behind him and took the arm Blaine offered.

“Nope, still not telling. You'll see when we get there,” Blaine said as he led Kurt to the parking lot. He opened the car door for Kurt and waited until he was settled before closing it after him and making his way around to the driver’s side. Kurt laid his flower on the dashboard where he could admire it and Blaine handed him his iPod. 

“Here. You can be in charge of the music,” he said. Kurt scrolled through the options and selected a Broadway playlist while Blaine steered out of the lot and through the gate that led off campus. Kurt noted that he hadn't turned toward downtown Westerville and mentally ruled out several destinations that had crossed his mind that week. When Blaine turned onto the highway that led to Columbus, Kurt's curiosity piqued. 

“The suspense is killing me, Blaine!”

“You've lasted this long, Kurt, you can make it a little longer. I promise it'll be worth it. At least I hope it will,” Blaine said with just a hint of nerves creeping into his voice.

Kurt reached over and settled his hand on Blaine's shoulder in reassurance. “I'm sure it will be, Blaine. You've been so thoughtful so far. I just can't wait to find out what it is.”

To pass the time and distract Kurt from trying to work out where they were going, they sang along with every show tune that came on and soon Blaine was pulling up to a parking garage in Columbus. They left the car with the valet and Kurt let himself be led down the street into the city.

“This has already been a wonderful date, Blaine,” he said. “Just the fact that you took the time to plan this for me is so sweet.”

“Well, I just hope you like the rest of it,” Blaine said as he came to a stop in front of a little restaurant and pulled the door open for Kurt. “After you…”

Kurt stepped inside followed by Blaine who addressed the hostess. “Hello. We have a reservation for two. Anderson?”

“Yes, of course, right this way.” She led them to a small table next to the window and Blaine pulled out Kurt's chair for him then took his own seat across the table. 

The restaurant wasn't fancy but was decidedly nicer than Breadstix. The boys shared an appetizer and stole bites off of each other's plates when their meals arrived. Blaine glanced at his watch when the waiter offered the dessert menu. “We better not,” he said, then looked to Kurt. “Later, I promise. I don't want to deprive you of your dessert, but we don't want to be late either.”

“Late for…?” Kurt tried.

Blaine shook his head and laughed. “Kurt! I'm not telling. But you are very persistent, I'll give you that.” He paid the bill and they headed back out, Kurt once again letting Blaine lead the way. They rounded a corner and the statehouse came into view. Across from it Kurt spied the lights of the Ohio Theatre's marquee,  _ Disney in Concert: Columbus Pops _ spelled out across the side.

“Blaine! Is that where we’re going?!” Kurt could barely contain his excitement. “Blaine! Really?! I can't...this is too much. How did you even afford this?”

“Yes, Kurt, really.” Blaine smiled widely at Kurt's enthusiasm, glad that he liked the surprise. “And my parents have a season subscription, so don't even worry about it. They're away this weekend anyway and I convinced them to let me have these tickets so I could treat my dashing boyfriend to an evening as special as he is.”

“Blaine…” Kurt thought he might melt on the spot, Blaine was so sweet. Instead he pulled him in for a tight hug. “I love it! Thank you so much.”

“Come on, let's go inside,” said Blaine, pulling the tickets from his jacket pocket. 

Kurt was in awe of the elegant lobby but as they entered the concert hall his breath was taken away by the opulent decor of deep reds and shining gold. He'd been there once before with his mom and dad but he'd been so young he barely remembered it. An usher showed them to their seats and Kurt marveled at the stunning chandelier overhead. “Can you imagine performing somewhere like this? It's so beautiful.”

“Well, I've no doubt you'll be performing at venues at least as grand someday. You're amazing, Kurt, and I'm so glad to be here with you.”

Once the concert began they were swept away by the music. A medley from  _ The Lion King _ had Blaine swaying in his seat, and Kurt glanced over at him with a smile. He could just picture Blaine as an exuberant little boy, bouncing and singing along to “Hakuna Matata” and “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” in his living room. Even now he was barely managing to restrain himself from singing out loud instead of just mouthing the lyrics. During “A Whole New World” Kurt reached over and grabbed Blaine’s hand. They caught each other’s eyes and smiled contentedly, letting the lyrics wash over them. Kurt had never expected his world in Ohio to include someone like Blaine. The song seemed to encompass both the excitement and newness of having a boyfriend for the first time and the possibilities for the future, chasing their dreams in New York. Every moment felt like a new adventure just because they were together, and they both knew things would only get even better once they really were out there in the new world of New York someday.

“Blaine, that was amazing. Thank you for bringing me,” Kurt said as they walked out of the theater afterwards.

“I'm so glad you liked it. I wasn’t sure if Disney would be too babyish, but I figured a little nostalgia never hurt.” 

“You can never be too old for Disney, Blaine, and besides the orchestra was phenomenal. You know, that could be you up there singing with them one day. You’re at least as good as the performers were tonight.”

Blaine ducked his head and grinned. “Kurt, I’m nowhere near that good…” he protested.

“Of course you are, Blaine. Don’t sell yourself short,” he said, “Now, I believe I was promised dessert?”

“You certainly were. I saw a cafe on the way here from the restaurant, if that’s ok? I didn’t actually plan out this part.”

“That sounds perfect. Lead the way,” Kurt replied.

They settled at a cozy table inside the cafe and looked over the menu at the various pastries. “What do you think, chocolate cake or cheesecake?” Blaine asked.

Kurt feigned shock at the query. “Cheesecake of course. Always cheesecake.” 

“Ah, a new discovery about Kurt Hummel,” Blaine said smiling. “In that case there’s somewhere I can’t wait to take you when we go to New York. You’ll love it.”

“Oh god, real New York cheesecake…” Kurt was practically salivating at the thought. “Between that and Broadway I may never want to leave.”

The waitress came up then and took their order and while they waited for her to return they chatted about their upcoming trip.

“How do you know so much about New York, anyway?” asked Kurt.

“Oh, my mom’s college roommate lives there. We’ve been going to visit her for as long as I can remember, either over summer vacation or at Christmastime. Sometimes both. She has a daughter a couple of years older than me, so the last few times we’ve been there, they’ve sort of let us do our own thing. She’s studying drama at Tisch now, so that basically consisted of haunting the theater district and seeing how many shows we could possibly manage to take in in one weekend.”

“That sounds divine,” Kurt said. “I’m glad I’ll have a seasoned tour guide to show me around. I just hope we’ll have more than a few hours of free time after the competition.”

“Me too,” Blaine agreed as the waitress arrived with their drinks and cake. The conversation slowed a bit as they each savored the first bites of their desserts, Kurt his cheesecake topped with blueberries and Blaine a decadent chocolate mousse cake. 

“Assuming we have the time,” Kurt said in between bites, “do you think we could see a show?”

“Definitely. That is very high on my to do list. What would you want to see?”

“I’d love to see  _ Wicked _ . But Rachel might kill me if I go to that without her. Might be worth it though.”

Blaine laughed. “Well, I for one prefer you alive. We have plenty of options. We can even just leave it to fate and hit the TKTS booth in Times Square and see what’s available at the last minute. Of course, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We don’t even know for sure that we’re going to have time.”

“Ugh, you’re right. I hope we get an itinerary soon so we can start planning.” The Warblers council had submitted a travel plan to Dalton’s headmaster, but he hadn’t approved anything yet, so they’d just have to wait.

They finished their dessert, chatting idly about New York, and then headed back to Blaine’s car. They sat in comfortable silence for a while as Blaine drove back to Dalton.

“Thank you for tonight,” Kurt said. “I know I keep saying it, but this was a really lovely date.”

“It was absolutely my pleasure, Kurt. I’m glad you liked it.” 

When they got back to Dalton, Kurt retrieved his rose from the dashboard and he and Blaine walked hand in hand back to his dorm. 

“I guess this is where we part,” Blaine said, reaching a hand up to stroke Kurt’s cheek. “I had a really nice time tonight too. Thank you for accompanying me.” He leaned in then to kiss Kurt goodnight, cupping Kurt’s jaw with his hand and taking his time, savoring the feel of Kurt’s lips and letting his tongue brush against them. Kurt responded in kind, but they pulled apart before the kiss could deepen. They both were aware that this wasn’t the place for more.  

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Blaine said as he let his hand trail down Kurt’s arm, gently grasping his fingertips before stepping back and letting his hand fall away.

“Goodnight, Blaine,” Kurt said, and turned to go inside. They both looked back over their shoulders as Blaine walked away towards his own dorm, warm smiles lighting their faces. They stole glances at each other until Blaine was out of sight. Neither boy was ready for the night to end, but there were curfews to be obeyed. The downside to living on campus was that faculty residents were less likely than parents to be forgiving of being a few minutes late.

As Kurt opened the door to his room, his phone buzzed.

_ Goodnight. Again. xoxo _

Kurt smiled.

_ Goodnight, Blaine. Sweet dreams. xo _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I need a disclaimer for this chapter! I swear on my autographed Hedwig playbill it was written long before Darren's involvement in the symphony shows or Little Mermaid was announced! Disney in Concert is an actual thing that happens at the Columbus Pops, that I came across in my search for events near Westerville when I was looking for date night ideas for Kurt and Blaine. It seemed fitting for them. Apparently Kurt was channeling Darren when he said it could be Blaine on stage!
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter owes much of its very existence to shenanigansensu. I struggled with parts of it and was on the verge of scrapping some scenes altogether and incorporating the bits that were working into other chapters instead, but she believed I could write it and make it work, so I fought it out. And after I'd written it and still wasn't sure whether it was any good, her feedback gave me confidence in the parts I was most uncertain about. Her nudges always push me to do better than I think I can, and that is especially true here. Hope you enjoy it!

The Warblers continued to practice hard for Nationals throughout the spring, week bleeding into week, pausing only for spring break. Kurt spent the break in Lima helping his dad at the shop. He wanted to be able to enjoy the trip to New York without worrying too much about his budget, so the extra cash would come in handy. Blaine and his parents headed to California for a few days to visit his brother Cooper.

On Monday, Kurt's phone rang just as he was finishing up his lunch break. He smiled when he recognized it as Blaine’s ringtone.

“Hi, Blaine,” he answered.

“I miss you,” Blaine said without preamble as soon as he heard Kurt’s voice.

“Blaine, we just saw each other on Friday, and we've been texting nonstop all weekend! You can't miss me that much!”

“I do. It's been three days since I've kissed you. Xs and Os just aren't the same.”

Kurt's heart melted a little bit at that. “You do have a point there,” he admitted. “But you'll be home on Wednesday, right?”

“Yep,” said Blaine. “But that still means I won’t see you til at least Thursday.”

“I think we'll survive,” he said. “What is it they say? Absence makes the heart grow fonder?”

“I don't know, Kurt, I'm pretty fond of you already...”

Kurt could imagine the sparkle in Blaine's eyes as he said it and it made him smile. “Well, I'm pretty fond of you as well,” he answered, “so I guess that works out well for us both. And for what it's worth, I miss you too. The guys here at the garage are great but we don’t exactly have tons of common ground. I miss having someone around who gets my musical references and appreciates my fashion sense.”

“Oh, is that all I’m good for?” said Blaine.

“Well, maybe not _all_ ,” Kurt conceded. “You’re kind of nice to look at too.”

“Kurt!” Blaine laughed and shook his head. He loved this teasing side of Kurt. “Well, I'm glad to hear I don't have to worry about you being stolen away from me while I'm gone.”

“Nope. You won't get rid of me that easily. I really do have to get back to work now though. But I'll talk to you later?”

Blaine agreed to call Kurt later that evening and said goodbye.

“That Blaine?” Burt asked as Kurt pocketed his phone and made his way back towards the counter where the stack of paperwork he was trying to tackle waited for him.

“It was,” said Kurt.

“He gonna be around before school starts back up again?” Burt said, stepping away from the tire he’d been changing and shifting his attention to his son.

Kurt eyed Burt curiously, wondering where this was going. “He gets back Wednesday night. Why?”

“I want you to invite him to dinner. I know you two have been friends for a while, but if you’re gonna be dating him, I want to get to know him better.”

Kurt opened his mouth to reply but was caught between wanting to defend Blaine to his dad and being touched that his dad cared enough to be interested in getting to know him. The look on his face must have betrayed his suspicion in Burt’s motives though.

“Don’t give me that look,” Burt said. “The first time I met Blaine, he was drunk. I’d like to think that’s not something he makes a habit of, but I’d also like to see that for myself.”

“Dad, you know I wouldn’t be with someone who was like that all the time. Blaine’s a gentleman, most of the time.”

“Invite him over then, so I can see _that_ Blaine.”

“Ok, Dad. I will.”   

“Good. Now get back to work. Those invoices aren’t going to sort themselves,” Burt said as he turned back to the car on the lift.

Kurt headed to the counter, but pulled out his phone again before going back to the papers.

_So...are you free on Thursday night? My dad wants you to come to dinner…_

 

~

 

The next few days passed quickly. Kurt kept busy at the shop during the day and spent his evenings catching up with his McKinley friends. He had a long overdue spa night sleepover with Rachel and Mercedes, and they updated him on all the latest New Directions gossip over facials and manicures before curling up together on Rachel’s bed for a movie marathon.

“So, spill,” said Mercedes when Rachel left the room to go make more popcorn. “Is Blaine a good kisser?”

“‘Cedes!” Kurt pretended to be scandalized and whacked her on the arm with one of Rachel’s throw pillows for good measure, but he had to admit it was nice to be able to do a little gushing over his boyfriend. He didn’t talk much about Blaine when Rachel was around, given their history. They all were still friends but he didn’t want to make things awkward. And while the Warblers were his friends, he hadn’t really connected closely enough with anyone besides Blaine to share that kind of personal information, though he was fairly certain Blaine had confided more details in Nick than most of the group was privy to.

“Well, not that I have anything to compare to, but...yes, he is,” Kurt admitted with a grin.

“Is it weird with you and Rachel?” she asked.

“Surprisingly not,” said Kurt, “though it probably helps that I’m at Dalton now. We don’t see each other all the time anymore so it’s not really in her face.”

“I’m glad,” she said. “It sucks that you had to transfer, but you seem really happy, Kurt.”

“I am,” he replied.

“You are what?” Rachel asked as she came back with a fresh bowl of popcorn for their next movie.

“Happy,” said Kurt as they settled back against Rachel’s headboard and snuggled together to start the movie. “Just...happy.”

 

“I’m glad you had fun,” Blaine said on the phone the next night. “But while you were enjoying a relaxing evening, _I_ was being tortured by my brother.”

“Isn’t that what big brothers are for?” Kurt asked.

“Says the one who didn’t have a brother at all until a few months ago… Who’s older anyway, you or Finn?”

“I am, but just barely.”

“Ah… well I’m sure you would never inflict this kind of torture on him. Cooper has his very own special brand of crazy.”

“What did he do?” Kurt asked as he climbed into his bed. He hadn't gotten much sleep at the sleepover and it had been a long day at the shop. He was about ready to call it a night.

“He’s auditioning for a dog food commercial. And he insisted he couldn’t possibly rehearse his lines without someone to play the dog’s part.”

“He didn’t…”

“Oh, yes, he very much did. And then he had the audacity to tell me that he didn’t think my performance was ‘canine enough.’” Kurt could practically hear Blaine’s air quotes through the phone.

“Oh, Blaine…” Kurt felt bad for him, but he couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry, but that’s kind of funny. He’s obviously never seen your puppy dog eyes.”

“Sure, go ahead, mock my pain… I see how it is,” Blaine pouted, but there was no bite to it.

“Aw, I’m sorry. Where were your parents when all of this went down?”

“My dad was out with a client; this is a working vacation for him. And my mom was at the spa. I should have gone with her!”

“Well I hope you’ve learned your lesson here, Blaine. Never turn down a trip to the spa…”

“Mmm, yes, clearly that is the takeaway here,” Blaine said, “not that my brother is completely ridiculous. I swear he thinks he’s god’s gift to Hollywood just because he booked a couple of parts as a glorified extra. Sorry. I don’t mean to go off on you. He’s just a bit much to take sometimes. I’m glad we’re coming home soon.”

“Well that makes two of us. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Mmm, me neither, even if it does mean seeing your dad again too.”   

“Blaine, you have nothing to worry about. Dad comes off as kind of a tough guy but he’s going to love you.”

“I hope so…”

“He will. I’m sure of it.”

“If you say so… I do need to get going now though. My dad's taking us all out for a late dinner before we head home tomorrow.”

“Ok. Have fun. And call me when you get home?”

“Of course.”

“Ok. Goodnight, Blaine.”

“‘Night, Kurt. Sweet dreams.”

Kurt hung up the phone, snuggled down into his blankets, and drifted off to sleep.

 

~

  

On Thursday, Blaine walked up to the door of the Hummel home, feeling nervous about seeing Burt again. He hadn’t been in the best condition the first time they’d met and he was eager to make a better impression on his boyfriend’s father. He rang the bell hoping Kurt would answer, but luck was not on his side and a moment later, Burt opened the door.

“Blaine,” he said a bit gruffly, a look of fatherly scrutiny firmly planted on his face. “Good to see you again. Come on in.”

“Thanks, Mr. Hummel,” Blaine said politely as he stepped inside, “It’s nice to see you too.”

“Kurt’ll be down in a minute. He always likes to shower after working at the shop. Why don’t you have a seat?” Burt said as he led the way into the family room and settled into his own worn and well loved recliner.

“Thanks,” said Blaine as he perched himself on the edge of the sofa opposite Burt.

“So,” Burt began, looking slightly askance at the boy across from him, “Last time you were here, you were dating Rachel. Are you gay, or bi, or what?” Burt was nothing if not direct.

“I…” Blaine was caught off guard by the question, though he guessed it shouldn’t have been entirely unexpected under the circumstances. Quickly pulling himself together, Blaine continued. “Sir, I care about your son. No matter how I label myself, my feelings for Kurt are real. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.”

“Well, good,” Burt replied. “I gotta admit, after New Year’s, I wasn't thrilled when Kurt first told me he was dating you. But I try to trust him to make his own choices. And he does seem happy.”

“I _am_ happy, Dad,” Kurt said walking up behind Blaine. “Now please stop giving my boyfriend the third degree.”

“It's ok,” Blaine said. “He's just looking out for you. And I don't mind a few questions.”

Kurt resisted rolling his eyes at Blaine defending Burt’s meddling, and Burt couldn’t help tossing a smug look in Kurt’s direction, pleased that Blaine was taking his side over Kurt’s. He decided to let Blaine off the hook for now. “I'm going to go help Carole with dinner and let you boys catch up. But no funny business,” he said as he raised a finger in warning and shot Kurt a glance to match.

“Dad!” Kurt said, before turning to Blaine as Burt walked out of the room. “I’m sorry about him. He’s harmless, really.”

“It’s really ok, Kurt. I think it’s kind of sweet. And the last time I was here was certainly not my finest moment, so I suppose I do need to prove myself to him a bit.”

“You have nothing to prove. He’s going to love you once he gets to know you,” Kurt said, settling himself in Blaine’s lap and hugging him close. “Mmmm, I missed this,” he said and he pulled back just enough to let his lips find Blaine’s. Blaine’s eyes darted towards the kitchen, nervous about being caught, but once he was satisfied that no one was paying them any attention he relaxed into the kiss, happy to have Kurt back in his arms.

They drew apart, careful not to let things go too far with Kurt’s family nearby, but lately both boys had begun to realize that they wanted to give in to their desires instead of always holding back like they had been. Kurt wanted to know what it would be like to kiss up the curve of Blaine’s neck and along his strong jawline, to press his tongue further into Blaine’s mouth, to get lost in it instead of worrying about keeping things appropriate.

Blaine wanted to forget about being a gentleman. He wanted to let his hands roam over his boyfriend’s body, wanted to press close against him and feel for himself whether their kisses had the same effect on Kurt as they did on him. But they had agreed to take things slowly, and Blaine didn't want to push or take things too far too fast and regret it later.   

It wasn't long before Carole called them in to dinner. Blaine gave Kurt a nervous glance as they headed towards the dining room, and Kurt squeezed his hand in reassurance. “You'll be fine. Just be your usual charming self and they won't be able to resist.” Kurt's warm smile settled Blaine’s nerves. Over dinner he chatted with Burt and Finn about the prospects for Ohio State’s football team the next fall and with Carole about an actor from her favorite tv show, whom Cooper had met when he had a small guest role on the series. Blaine had relaxed enough by the end of the meal that when Kurt rested a hand on top of his on the table as they all talked, he simply smiled and enjoyed the warmth of his boyfriend’s touch. No one seemed to mind the display of affection, and Blaine couldn’t help but notice that it was greeted by a sweet smile in their direction from Carole.

After dinner Finn left for a video game tournament at Puck’s house and Kurt and Blaine curled up the couch to watch a movie. They could hear Burt and Carole playing a board game in the next room and felt slightly guilty not joining them, but not guilty enough to give up their cuddles after almost a week apart. They stole chaste kisses here and there but, well aware that they weren’t alone, limited it to that.

Burt poked his head into the family room when he and Carole were done with their game to say they were heading up to bed. “Not too much longer, Kurt,” he said. “I’m sure Blaine has a curfew to meet.” He gave the boys a pointed look.

“Yes, sir,” Blaine answered for them both.

“Ok then. Goodnight.”

“‘Night, Dad,” Kurt said.

“Goodnight, Mr. Hummel. Thank you again for having me, ” said Blaine, ever aware of his manners.

“It’s Burt,” he replied, “and you’re welcome here any time.” He couldn’t help softening a little bit towards the boy. Blaine had certainly gone a long way that night to proving that he was indeed the gentleman Kurt said he was.

When they heard the door to Burt and Carole’s room close upstairs, Kurt shifted on the couch, stretching out to lie down and tugging Blaine with him. Kurt spooned up behind Blaine, running his fingers lightly up and down Blaine’s arm. Kurt’s touch sent tingles through Blaine’s whole body and he suddenly wished very much that Kurt’s hands would wander further. He stilled Kurt’s hand with his own, pulling Kurt's fingertips first to his lips and then down to rest against his chest. Kurt stroked his thumb over Blaine's collarbone and wriggled his hand free from Blaine's loose grip to slip his finger under the collar of his Henley, softly stroking the smooth skin underneath. “Is this ok?” he asked.

“Mmm...yeah, feels nice…” Blaine replied as Kurt kissed at the back of his neck. He felt warm and content in Kurt's embrace. He reached back and ran his hand down the outside of Kurt’s thigh, then stopped and let his thumb stroke over his boyfriend’s leg. He loved being held and kissed by Kurt but he wanted his own lips against Kurt’s skin, so he twisted around to face Kurt, looking first into his clear blue eyes, then dropping his gaze hungrily to Kurt’s lips. He splayed his hand against Kurt’s cheek as he sought Kurt’s mouth with his own. The kiss started gently but quickly deepened, neither boy wanting to hold back anymore.

When Blaine pulled away they were both breathing heavily. “That was… I should…” Blaine stammered as he sat up, untangling himself from Kurt. “I really should go if I don't want to be late. But…”

Kurt had sat up again as well and Blaine couldn't resist kissing him again, sliding his hand around to the back of Kurt's neck and pulling him closer as he pressed his tongue into Kurt's mouth. He pulled away and rested his head on Kurt's shoulder. “I wish I didn't have to go,” he said.

“Me too,” said Kurt softly, running his hand up and down Blaine's back.

They stood then and Kurt walked Blaine out to his car. “Maybe sometime when your parents aren't home we can take advantage of the empty house?” Kurt suggested.

“I…” Blaine was surprised by Kurt’s boldness, but he couldn't deny that the privacy sounded more than appealing. “Yeah,” he said, “yeah…”

“Good. Goodnight, Blaine,” Kurt said, giving him one more quick kiss before letting him get into the car.

“Goodnight, Kurt,” Blaine replied and drove off, daydreaming of the things he and Kurt could do in a quiet house with no one home to interrupt. Some of them were likely to remain just fantasies for now, but the idea of being truly alone with Kurt, with the time to do whatever they wanted, to let themselves explore instead of having to resist their impulses… It sounded just about perfect to Blaine.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay in posting! I appreciate you patience! The good news is, this story is complete and the two remaining chapters are ready to post! Thank you so much to everyone who has read, commented and left kudos. And special thanks to my friend and partner in crime shenanigansensu. I would never have been able to do this without her support and feedback.

The Warblers were assembled outside Dalton’s main building on a Friday morning, ready to board the bus to the airport. Many faculty members and parents were there to wish them luck and see them off.

“I wish I could come with you, buddy,” Burt said to Kurt, giving him a brusque hug.

“I know, Dad, but you'll be cheering us on from Ohio. I promise I'll call you when we get there.”

“And you'll check in with me at least once a day,” Burt reminded.

“Of course. Now stop worrying. I'll be fine.” Kurt was just anxious to be underway. He'd dreamt of New York his whole life and in a matter of hours he would be there. He said goodbye to his dad and turned to board the bus, finding a spot near the front and saving a seat for Blaine. Once everyone was settled on the bus, the headmaster stepped on board.

“Remember, gentlemen, you are representing Dalton not only on that stage, but off of it as well, and I expect that each of you will comport yourselves accordingly. I know you will make us proud, no matter what the outcome of the competition. Good luck to you, and enjoy this adventure.”

With that he stepped off the bus. The driver shut the door behind him and slowly guided the bus down Dalton’s long driveway. Finally they were on their way.

On the plane, Kurt sat beside Blaine, grinning widely. “I can't believe I'm actually on my way to New York,” he said.

“Well, believe it,” said Blaine. “Less than two hours and we’ll be there.”

“It feels like it's a world away most of the time. I can hardly believe that's all it takes.”

“I know,” Blaine said, reaching into his backpack. He pulled out a small envelope and handed it to Kurt. “Here. This is for you.”

“What is it?” Kurt asked.

“Just open it...”

Kurt carefully unsealed the envelope and slid out the card inside. He opened it to reveal two tickets to the Sunday matinee of _Wicked_.

“Blaine…” Kurt was stunned at the unexpected gift.

“It's an early birthday present. And before you say anything, I already checked with Rachel and she's not going to kill you, as long as you promise to go back with her when you move to New York. I don't think that will be a problem, will it?”

“As long as it's still running.”

“That's part of the reason she wanted you to go. She didn't want you to miss the opportunity, just in case. But she made me swear we'd bring her back souvenirs. I pointed out she can order the same things online, but she insisted the items from the theater are more authentic.”

“That sounds like Rachel,” Kurt laughed, running his finger over the tickets.

“They're only mezzanine. That's all I could afford.”

“Blaine, you got me tickets to my favorite show, _on Broadway_. As long as the seats are inside the theater, it doesn't matter to me where they are. Thank you!” He leaned over and hugged Blaine as best he could when they were side by side.

“You're welcome. I figured this way we'd be sure to see at least one show, no matter what. If we end up having time maybe we can fit something else in, but I wanted to make sure you didn't leave New York without experiencing a Broadway show.”

“And that is why you are my favorite,” Kurt said. “I like your priorities.” He tucked the tickets back into their envelope and slid it into his messenger bag beneath the seat.

“Did you ever hear about the time Rachel and I had a “Defying Gravity” diva-off?”

“What? No, I've definitely never heard about that! Tell me?”

“I'm surprised she never mentioned it. She beat me. It was sophomore year. Mr. Schue had given it to her as a solo without even considering anyone else. He wouldn't even let me audition for it when I asked. Until my dad came to school and forced him to. I knew I could sing the song better than Rachel. I could hit all the notes. But right before the audition my dad was getting harassing phone calls at work...about me.” That part was hard to share. Kurt had never told anyone about it before. No one besides Burt knew he'd blown the note on purpose so he'd had no reason to explain why he missed it. “I...I couldn't put him through that, Blaine. Things were already bad. What would've happened if I'd gone out in public and sang a song meant for a girl?”

Blaine ran his thumb over the back of Kurt's hand, trying to soothe him. “Kurt…”

“I tanked the high note, Blaine. I could hit it in my sleep and I'd been practicing nailing it, but I blew it. On purpose. Dad was upset at first, but I told him I loved him more than being a star. And I do, but… One day. One day I am going to sing that song and no one will care that it was written for a woman. They'll only care that I'm good.”

“You amaze me, Kurt. With your heart, and your determination, I know you'll do it. I just hope I can be there when it happens.”

Kurt smiled at him, but then grew serious again. “I've never told anyone that before, that I messed up on purpose. Well, except my dad. Rachel doesn't know. I don't know what made me want to tell you now.”

“It's ok, Kurt. I won't tell anyone. But I'm glad you told me. I feel like I know you a little better now.”

“I'm glad too. I guess I never had anyone before who made me feel safe like you do, like there wasn't any part of me I needed to hide.” He leaned his head over onto Blaine's shoulder and they sat quietly for a while, content in each other's company.

“So,” Kurt said eventually, “what about you? Do you have any deep, dark secrets I should know about?” He was mostly teasing, but also curious. The more he'd gotten to know Blaine the last few months, the more he wanted to know.

Blaine could tell by Kurt's tone that he wasn't really looking for a deep confession. “Hmm...well, you've already seen my iPod, so you know about my abiding love of Katy Perry…”

Kurt laughed and gave him a playful slap.

“I don’t really have any skeletons in my closet, but there was this one time, when I was about 11. Cooper was supposed to be babysitting me…”

Blaine didn’t talk about his brother very much, and Kurt’s ears perked up, eager to hear more of Blaine’s family stories.

“He had just turned 21, and there was some girl he was trying to impress. He heard she was going to be at this bar in Columbus and he really wanted to go. He wasn’t even thinking that they wouldn’t let a little kid in, so when we got to the door and they told him we’d have to leave, he wasn’t having it. He saw a sign for open mic night. He told them he was there to perform and I was part of his act. I don’t know why they believed him, probably they didn’t, but they let us in anyway. And that is the story of how 11 year old me got up on stage and performed a Duran Duran medley in front of a bar full of people.”

“Oh my god, Blaine!” Kurt couldn’t stop laughing. “You must have been so adorable. What happened with the girl?”

“I don’t even remember. Probably she shot him down. He likes to think he’s suave, but he’s kind of too full of himself most of the time to do well with relationships. But that was the first time I performed on a stage like that, in front of strangers. And I loved it. So I guess I owe Cooper that. I’ve known ever since that I wanted to be a performer.”

“Did your parents ever find out?”

“I don’t think so. If they did, they never said anything to me. And that was the first year I was brave enough to perform in the talent show at school, so that’s my convenient cover story for where my love of being on stage started.”

“Ah, see, you _do_ have secrets!” Kurt teased, just as the captain came on the intercom to announce that they would be landing shortly. An ever bigger grin broke out on Kurt’s face at the news. He was practically vibrating with excitement at finally being in New York.

After they landed, the Warblers gathered at the baggage claim to wait for their luggage. The chaperones took the opportunity to remind everyone of their itinerary for the day. Even though the Warblers could manage the competition on their own, there was no way Dalton would send them off to New York without chaperones, so they were joined by their music teacher and the head of the guidance department.

“Once everyone has their bags, we can head to the vans,” Mr. McKenzie, the music teacher, said. They’d hired two vans to get them to their hotel so they wouldn’t have to drag all of their belongings by bus and subway. “I’ll get everyone checked in, and then you guys can get settled and get some lunch. You have two hours and then you’re all expected back at the hotel for rehearsal. We have a group dinner planned for tonight and then the preliminary competition at 8:00.”

The boys listened dutifully, but they all had the schedule down pat already. They were used to managing without a faculty adviser, so making sure they were where they needed to be when they needed to be there was just par for the course.

“Thanks, Mr. McKenzie,” said Wes, “We’ve got it all under control. But we appreciate you coming with us. We'd love to have you sit in on rehearsal later. You too if you want, Mr. Holmes,” he said turning towards the guidance counselor.

“Thanks, Wesley. I know you boys are used to doing things on your own, so we'll try to stay out of your hair as far as the competition is concerned. And as long as everyone adheres to the check-ins and shows up for the group meals we shouldn’t have any problems. Just remember what the headmaster said about representing Dalton. Neither one of us wants to have to restrict anyone's privileges while we're here.”

“Of course, sir,” Wes replied on behalf of the group. “We’ll all be on our best behavior.”

The boys had actually been granted quite a bit of freedom during their trip, having proven repeatedly in the past that they could behave responsibly. After the competition on Friday night, they hoped they'd be advancing to the finals on Saturday morning. The rest of the weekend was free. They were expected to check in by text at regular intervals and they had a curfew, but beyond that they were free to explore the city as they wished. The headmaster had granted their request to travel back to Ohio on Monday, leaving the whole weekend to enjoy the cultural opportunities New York had to offer.   

After checking in at the hotel and quickly unpacking, the boys scattered in smaller groups to find lunch. Kurt and Blaine met up with Nick and Jeff in the lobby, Nick scanning through an app on his phone for nearby restaurants.

“Put that away, Nick,” Blaine said. “I know exactly where we’re going.”

“Ah, I forgot we have a New York expert in our midst,” Nick said. “Ok, lead the way then.”

They headed out into the warm spring afternoon and Blaine steered them towards the restaurant he had in mind.

“Where are we going anyway?” Kurt asked as they walked hand in hand down the block.

“You’ll see in a minute,” Blaine said. “It’s not far.”

They turned the corner onto 45th Street and Kurt took in the marquees of the theaters, hardly believing he was seeing them in person. He was so distracted he barely noticed the sign for Junior’s as they approached Shubert Alley, but Blaine slowed their pace and as he looked around to determine why, it registered.

“Blaine!” He couldn't resist giving him a hug on the spot. Blaine had been regaling him with tales of Junior’s decadent cheesecake for months, and they'd planned on coming, but Kurt hadn't expected it to be first thing.

Nick watched Kurt and Blaine, then glanced over at Jeff. “Clearly we’re missing something here,” he said. “Um, guys, care to fill us in? Why so excited?”

“Don't mind Kurt. He's just a little enthusiastic about his cheesecake, and this place has the best. But don't worry, they have amazing sandwiches and burgers too. Come on, let's go in.”

They were seated on the patio overlooking Shubert Alley. Nick and Jeff each ordered a cheeseburger with fries and onion rings and a milkshake on the side. Blaine went with a classic open faced turkey sandwich and Kurt, wanting to make sure he saved room for cheesecake, ordered a simple chicken Caesar salad. They chatted and people watched while they waited for their food, enjoying the beautiful afternoon.

Kurt’s eyes were continually drawn to the multitude of posters across the alley advertising Broadway shows. So many he wanted to see. So many he’d love the chance to be in. Blaine followed Kurt’s gaze and reached for his hand under the table. He knew exactly what Kurt was thinking. They exchanged a wordless glance and the promise of someday and turned their attention back to their friends.

When the waitress eventually returned for their dessert orders, Kurt was ready. He’d flipped to the desserts before even contemplating his meal. She disappeared and returned shortly with cookies for Nick and Jeff, red velvet cheesecake for Blaine and raspberry swirl cheesecake for Kurt. Everyone eyed Kurt expectantly, knowing he’d been waiting for this moment.

He raised the fork to his lips and savored the first bite.

“Well,” Blaine asked, “is it everything you dreamed it would be?”

“Better,” said Kurt. “So good…”

“Looks like you have some competition, Blaine,” joked Nick.

Kurt looked at Blaine and gave him an innocent shrug.

“Hey now,” Blaine said, “Don’t forget who brought you here!”

“I couldn’t possibly. This cheesecake is amazing, and you are amazing for bringing me to it. I’m forever in your debt,” Kurt said.

“Ooh,” said Jeff, “I could help you think of some ways to take advantage of that, Blaine.”

Blaine shook his head at his friend. “I’m sure you could, Jeff. Thanks. I think somehow I’ll manage on my own,” he teased back.

They settled their bill and made their way back to the hotel for rehearsal. Everything went smoothly and after a quick dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, all of the boys dispersed to their rooms to dress for the competition.

The Warblers opted to stick with the tried and true for the preliminary round, hoping that the routines that had gotten them there in the first place were strong enough to advance them to the finals. Their strategy proved successful and they easily advanced to the next round on Saturday morning. In the end, they landed in 4th place, a respectable finish for a team that had never even been to Nationals before.

After lunch with the Warblers, Kurt and Blaine took the subway to NYU to have a look around. They were meeting Blaine’s friend who studied at Tisch and had agreed to give them a tour.

“Jessica, hey,” said Blaine, giving her a quick hug. “Thanks for meeting us. This is my boyfriend, Kurt.”

“Hi, Kurt. It’s nice to meet you. And it’s good to see you again, Blaine.” If she was surprised that Blaine had a boyfriend, she didn’t show it.

Jessica showed them around the theater department, giving them the inside scoop on what it was like to go to school there. Kurt could easily picture himself in the classrooms and on the stages she showed them. He knew Tisch was only one of many options but just seeing the possibilities made him excited. This, or something like it, could be his reality in a little over a year. The future suddenly didn’t seem quite so daunting or quite so far away. Blaine was equally impressed, looking forward to the day he could really immerse himself in performing, though it began to register that for him that day was still much further away than it was for Kurt.

When they finished at NYU they took the subway back towards Midtown to meet Trent and Wes to try their luck at the TKTS booth, hoping there would be tickets available for a show they could all agree on. After some discussion they settled on _Jersey Boys_ and headed off for dinner, making their way back through the Times Square crowds and deftly avoiding the slightly creepy costumed characters trying to make a buck taking photos with tourists.

Wes was full of ideas after the show, babbling on about which songs would make good numbers for the Warblers the next year, despite the fact that he was a senior and wouldn’t be around anymore to implement them. “Blaine, I’m counting on you to remember all this. Don’t let me down, ok?”

“Sure thing, Wes,” Blaine said amiably as they walked back to the hotel. The Warblers hadn’t voted on next year’s council yet, but everyone knew Blaine was a shoo-in.

They arrived at the hotel with a little time to spare before curfew. Kurt and Blaine held hands as the four of them rode the elevator up to their rooms. Blaine cast a meaningful glance at Kurt and then motioned subtly towards Trent.

“Hey, Trent,” said Kurt, “um, we have a few minutes 'til curfew still and I was wondering if maybe…” His cheeks were pink with embarrassment. Was he really asking his roommate to clear out so he could be alone with his boyfriend?

Trent realized what Kurt was asking without him having to finish his sentence and let him off the hook. “It’s fine, Kurt. I’ll hang out with Wes a bit longer. Maybe get some notes on those song ideas for next year,” he said smiling. “And I’ll be sure to knock when I come back,” he added with a wink.

“Trent! It’s not like that!” Kurt said, laughing in relief that he hadn’t had to spell things out. “We just wanted a little privacy to say goodnight, that’s all.”

“Whatever you say, Kurt,” Trent teased as the elevator door opened and Kurt and Blaine stepped out.

“Thanks, Trent,” Blaine said over his shoulder as they walked away before the doors slid shut again. “We owe you one…”

When they got to Kurt’s room, Kurt let them inside. He toed off his shoes and went to remove his jacket, but Blaine was right there, helping him slide it off. “Allow me,” he said, taking the coat from Kurt and laying it gently over the back of a chair.

“Thanks. Come here, you,” he said as he reached out for Blaine’s hand and pulled him into a hug, smoothing his hands up under Blaine’s own jacket and holding him close.

“Mmm…” Blaine sighed. “If we had music, we could dance,” he remarked as he cradled his head against Kurt’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around Kurt’s waist and swaying slightly in his embrace.

“That we could,” said Kurt, “but seeing as we only have a few minutes ‘til curfew, what I really want to do is kiss you.”

“That sounds nice too,” Blaine said, lifting his head and trailing his lips up Kurt’s neck towards his jaw.

Kurt reached up and gently guided Blaine’s lips to his, kissing him softly before pulling away and sighing contentedly. He stepped towards the room’s arm chair and Blaine followed, nestling onto Kurt's lap. They kissed lazily, trailing fingertips against each other's jaws and necks and shoulders, not letting things get too heated because they knew they only had a few minutes before their chaperones would begin checking rooms for curfew.

They separated after a moment and Blaine rested his head contentedly against Kurt's shoulder. “This was a good day,” he said. “I love being here with you.”

Kurt stroked Blaine's arm and kissed his temple. “It really was,” he said, and couldn't help but imagine a future in New York.

“I should get going,” Blaine said, leaning in for one last lingering kiss before getting up to head to his own room. Kurt followed him to the door, giving him another quick hug and kiss.

“Goodnight, Blaine.”

“Sweet dreams, Kurt. I'll see you in the morning…”

Kurt leaned back against the door after it closed, basking in the glow of the day, and his boyfriend, and all the possibilities the future held. Sweet dreams, indeed...


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is...the final chapter! I hope you enjoy it! Just a warning that things maybe head a little more towards R rated for a minute here, but I think overall my T rating is probably still safe!

On Sunday the Warblers met for brunch before fanning out into the city for one last day before they had to head back to Ohio. Kurt and Blaine strolled through Central Park and then made their way back to the theater district in time for the _Wicked_ matinee.

“Thank you again for the tickets, Blaine. This may be the best birthday present anyone’s ever given me,” Kurt said as they walked up to the theater.

“My pleasure,” Blaine replied as he held the door open for Kurt and ushered him inside. “It’s not your very first Broadway show anymore, but I hope it’ll still be special.”

“Of course it will. I’m here with you,” Kurt smiled and Blaine beamed back at him, trying to keep from blushing.

They visited the merchandise booth to avoid the after-show crowds and found their seats with just a few minutes to spare before the curtain went up. Kurt’s heart soared as he watched the show and he’d never felt more certain that he needed to be part of this kind of magic someday. Blaine glanced over at Kurt during “Defying Gravity,” remembering the story Kurt had told him on the plane. Kurt caught his eye and Blaine smiled warmly at him, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

Afterwards, they passed back through the lobby chatting excitedly about the performance, and as they stepped out of the theater they were still so caught up in the spell they didn't notice that it had started to rain. Fortunately the theater opened into a sheltered pass-through between 50th and 51st Streets, so they weren't cast into the downpour right away. But between the patrons exiting the theater and people seeking shelter from the rain, the alleyway was crowded.

“Oh man,” Blaine said, finally registering the weather. “I guess we should've paid closer attention to the forecast.” Neither boy had an umbrella. They made their way towards the street and stopped to assess their options.

“We could wait here until it lets up a little,” Blaine suggested. “It's coming down pretty hard.”

“Yeah, that's not a bad idea,” Kurt said.

“Actually, while we're waiting, let me text Nick and see if he and Jeff want to join us for dinner. I don't know why we didn't think to ask them earlier.” He tapped out a quick message and got an almost instant reply.

_Sorry, we’re downtown and have reservations already. See you back at the hotel later._

“They can't make it,” he told Kurt. “Guess it's just the two of us then.”

“I can definitely live with that,” Kurt said. “No offense to Nick and Jeff, of course…”

“Of course,” Blaine chuckled. “But yeah, I don't think I'll mind having you all to myself either.”

They waited a few more minutes, easily passing the time talking about the show, but the rain was showing no sign of stopping.

“What do you think?” Blaine asked, nodding towards the street. “We can't stay here all night.”

“There’s no way we’ll make it to the restaurant and still be dry enough to sit and eat. We should probably just go back to the hotel first. We can change and grab an umbrella and then do dinner.”

Their hotel was just a couple of blocks away. They weighed their options and decided they'd get just as wet standing curbside trying to hail a cab as they would making a run for it.

Kurt lifted his jacket up over his head in an attempt to provide some protection and the two darted off towards 8th Avenue. They ducked under as many awnings as they could, but when they arrived back at their hotel they were drenched to the skin, laughing and out of breath from their dash from the theater. They took the elevator up and Blaine led them to his room where he quickly unlocked the door and ushered Kurt inside.

“Here, let me get us some towels,” he said and headed into the bathroom to retrieve them.

In the meantime Kurt started working open the buttons of his shirt, eager to shed the garment that was growing cold against his skin now that he'd stopped moving. He peeled it off and draped it over the desk chair and was just lifting off his damp undershirt when Blaine returned with the towels.

“Here you go, Kurt. I…” But Blaine stopped short. Kurt stood before him, chest bare, hair dripping, and looked back over his shoulder at Blaine, who stood frozen, one towel draped over his shoulder and the other in his hand, extended out to Kurt.

Kurt suddenly felt exposed and tried to cover himself with his arms.

“No, Kurt, don't,” Blaine said. “I...you're…” He walked towards Kurt and pressed the towel into his hands. Kurt dried his face and passed it quickly over his body, holding it to his chest when he was done.

Blaine stood close in front of him and rested a hand over Kurt's where it was clenched into the towel. “Don't hide. May I?” he asked as he started to tug it gently away from Kurt's body.

“Ok,” said Kurt. He kept his eyes on Blaine's, which were trained on Kurt's chest. He'd touched Kurt under his shirt before, but they'd never seen each other shirtless, only caught glimpses of skin when their clothes got disheveled while they made out. Blaine pulled the towel away, tossing it onto the desk, and Kurt let his hands fall.

“Kurt…” Blaine reached out to him, looking up into his eyes for permission. Kurt gave a slight nod and then Blaine's hand was on him, fingertips brushing his shoulder and trailing down his chest almost reverently. “You're beautiful,” he breathed. He leaned forward to press a wet kiss to the spot where Kurt’s neck met his shoulder.

Kurt reached a hand up to Blaine's neck and tangled his fingers in the soft curls that had broken free of their gel in the rain. Blaine's touch was so gentle, so loving, that he didn't feel embarrassed anymore. He pulled back slightly and ran his hand from Blaine's neck around to his forehead where his curls spilled in tight ringlets. He looked at Blaine and smiled. “Your curls are adorable,” he said as he twisted one around his finger.

“Ugh,” Blaine responded with a laugh, reaching up to run a hand through his unruly locks, trying to smooth them over.

“No, I mean it!” Kurt said. “I really like them. And you. Would you…?” He tugged at the hem of Blaine's undershirt, his button-down having already been discarded in the bathroom when he'd gone to get the towels.

Now it was Blaine's turn to feel self conscious, but he supposed it was only fair. He removed the towel that still hung over his shoulders and lifted his shirt over his head as Kurt watched him. They stood for a moment just gazing before Kurt took a step forward and wrapped his arms around Blaine. Blaine brought his arms up to smooth over Kurt's back and nuzzled into Kurt's neck below his ear. Kurt's bare skin felt so good against his own and his whole body tingled. Kurt started kissing him then, from his ear down his jaw, until he reached his mouth where he pressed his tongue inside, warm and wet. Blaine kissed him back eagerly, holding him tight.

They broke apart, breathless, and took a moment to settle down. Kurt trailed a hand down Blaine's side and brought it to rest at his waistband, inching a finger just underneath.

“Blaine, I...can we…?” Kurt tried to convey what he wanted. “Not everything, but just...more?” He rested his hand on Blaine's belt buckle and looked at him, hoping for permission.

“I...yeah, yes,” Blaine managed to stammer and Kurt began unfastening his belt, opening the button of his slacks and sliding down his zipper. The damp pants clung to his skin, so Blaine stepped back to pull them down, resting on the edge of the bed to tug them all the way off. He pulled his socks off too as he did, leaving him in only his boxer briefs. He was suddenly quite grateful to know that Nick wouldn’t be coming back to the room any time soon.

“You too?” he asked, casting a glance up at Kurt who still stood half clothed, watching him.

Kurt responded silently by unbuckling his belt and removing what remained of his own clothing until he was down to his own tight briefs.

Blaine held out his hand and Kurt stepped towards him. Blaine tugged him down onto the bed and scooted up towards the pillows, pulling Kurt with him. They lay together, stroking each other's skin, tangling their legs together, enjoying the new sensations and kissing languidly. _I love you_ , Blaine thought. It would be so easy to let the words slip out, but he didn't want the first time he said it to be tangled up in their physical intimacy. He wanted Kurt to know he was loved for so much more than just that. So he held the words, but poured the emotion into his touches, making Kurt feel cherished and safe.

They were quiet, reading each other's eyes and responding to body language, carefully avoiding touching below the waist, though both had grown aroused. Blaine leaned into Kurt, craving the feeling of his skin against his own, deepening their kiss, pushing Kurt onto his back. In doing so his cock brushed against Kurt's hip, sending a wave of desire through him. “Oh, god, Kurt… We should...we should stop...before…” He pushed himself up on his arms, making space between them. But Kurt grabbed his waist, not letting him pull away.

“No, stay...if...if you want to. We don't have to...just, I want to feel you Blaine. Please. Stay…”

Blaine lowered himself back down slowly and drew in a breath when he felt Kurt’s hard length against his own through their briefs. “Kurt…” Their hips stayed motionless as Blaine stroked at the hair at Kurt’s temple and Kurt’s hand splayed out across the small of Blaine’s back, holding him close. For now, it was enough.

“I know we aren't ready...yet,” said Kurt after a few moments. “But...I can't wait until we are. I want everything with you, Blaine, one day.”

Blaine's heart swelled at the thought and he smiled adoringly at Kurt. “Me too,” he whispered. He snuggled against Kurt, letting himself be held as they both calmed down.

“I should go get changed if we're going to make it to dinner,” Kurt said before long. “Can I borrow some clothes to get back to my room?” He had no desire to put his wet things back on, even for the short walk to the room he was sharing with Trent.

“Of course.” Blaine planted a kiss on Kurt's hand before lifting his arm away and pushing himself up off the bed. “Or we could just stay here and nap instead,” he said, stretching and stifling a yawn. It really was cozy snuggling on the bed with Kurt.

“We can nap in Ohio. I believe I was promised more cheesecake,” Kurt reminded him. Blaine had promised to take Kurt back to Junior’s for dessert one last time before they left.

“Ok, ok. Far be it for me to keep you from your cheesecake!” Blaine laughed as he rummaged through his suitcase for something Kurt could wear. He pulled out a pair of soft gray sweats and a faded Ohio State tee shirt.

“If my dad could see me now,” Kurt said as he pulled on the shirt.

“It suits you,” said Blaine, quite enjoying seeing his boyfriend in his own clothes.

“Well, in that case, I may just keep it,” teased Kurt. He certainly wouldn't be caught wearing it in public but he thought it could be nice to sleep wrapped up in a shirt that smelled like Blaine. “Ok, I'm going to go get changed, and then I'll meet you back here and we can head to dinner. Sound good?”

“Sounds good,” said Blaine.

Kurt picked up his wet clothes and gave Blaine a quick kiss before heading down the hall to his own room.

What Blaine really wanted to do was fall back onto the bed and bask in the glow of what had just happened between him and Kurt, but he knew he had to be ready when Kurt came back so instead he took a quick shower, dressed, and worked some gel into his hair to tame his curls. Kurt might like them, but he still preferred to keep them under control.

Looking back on the afternoon as he waited for Kurt to return, Blaine recognized what a big step it had been for them. He'd never shared that type of intimacy with anyone else, and as he thought about it, he realized that he couldn't even imagine having done any of those things with Rachel. Even when they were together, it had never crossed his mind that they might get to that point, and they'd dated for longer than he and Kurt had been together. It just didn't feel right thinking of Rachel in that way. He wondered if that was just because he was with Kurt now, or if it could mean something more. Maybe he _was_ gay. He still wasn't in a rush to assume a label, but he felt like maybe he was inching closer to figuring it out.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a knock at the door. He rose and opened it to find Kurt in a fresh outfit with his hair returned to its usual state of perfection. This time he was carrying an umbrella that would be big enough for them to share. “I’ve come prepared,” he said, brandishing it with a flourish.

“Excellent,” Blaine said, “although I have to admit I enjoyed the results of our ill-preparedness earlier.”

“It did have its benefits, I suppose,” Kurt conceded with a grin. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yep, all set. Just let me grab my wallet.” Blaine retrieved his wallet and room key and they made their way back to the elevators and out to the street where the rain had slowed to a steady drizzle. Kurt raised the umbrella and held it over them both as they walked. They stopped in to a tiny but busy pizza place, figuring they shouldn't pass up what New York was so well known for, and they were not disappointed. Afterwards they headed back to Junior’s, opting to take their cheesecake to go rather than wait for a table. They could just as easily eat it back at the hotel.

There was a cozy seating area in the lobby, and the two settled together onto one of the loveseats, angling towards each other and opening up their desserts.

“I don't want to go home yet,” Kurt sighed, saddened that their weekend was drawing to a close.

“But just think, in a little over a year, you get to come back. To stay.” Blaine’s face fell even as he tried to cheer Kurt up as it hit him that Kurt would really be leaving Ohio in the not so distant future. He realized anything could happen in a year but right now he didn't want to think of his life without Kurt in it.

“Hey, don't be sad. We still have a whole year to get through first.”

“I know. I just...I love you, Kurt.” He had to say it. In that moment he needed Kurt to know.

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and squeezed it tight. “I love you too.”

The relief and joy Blaine felt at hearing those words washed over him, erasing any sadness he'd been feeling. He smiled and snuggled into Kurt, content that whatever the future held they were together right now, and that Kurt loved him back. They'd had an amazing weekend in the city of their dreams and he knew that one way or another they both would be back there someday. It was just a matter of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear what you thought! I'm not sure if this is a story I will continue or not, though I do have a few ideas floating around in my head, so there may be some one-shots at some point. Are there any questions you'd like to see answered if I keep going?


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